A Law-some Christmas
by PhoenixFlame53
Summary: Join Phoenix and Co. this Advent season as they celebrate with eachother in 31 little mini one-shots throughout December! SPOLIERS FOR ALL GAMES EXCEPT DUAL DESTINIES MAY BE INVOLVED. Pairings may be added, but that depends if people request them. Same with OCs. I shall let you read onward from here!
1. 1st December- Presents

A Law-some Christmas

Well, hello there, my dear readers! I'm on a fanfiction rampage right now after NaNoWriMo...seriously, I'm writing fanfics a mile a minute. :)  
Maybe not a mile a minute, but that's not the point.

Anyhow, I have this little ditty for you that I created today; it'll be 31 oneshots of miniscule proportion to brighten up your Advent season and your day.  
Please forgive me for not doing it yesterday; as I said, I only started it today. Sorry, all! :)

Each chapter will revolve around a certain character, with various other characters added to the mix, and I am open for requests to who you want to see in there. I already have today, yesterday and the 28th (*sob*) planned for some characters, so requests are pretty helpful! Even if you don't request, I'll summon some good ideas, so don't worry.

_NOTE: I will also accept requests for pairings, but only if you all insist on having them._ _Then, and only then, I'll see what I can do. ;)_

I will usually stay in the time range of just after Trials and Tribulations but definitely **_before_ **Phoenix's disbarment and the ensuing Apollo Justice game, however I _may _just add in a few Apollo Justice timeline chapters in there, too. In fact, that's more than likely to happen. :D

Expect no Hobohodo, however. Or, actually, anything before Phoenix's first trial _unless _there's a flashback.

**_SPOLIERS, FOR ALL GAMES APART FROM DUAL DESTINIES (BECAUSE I HAVEN'T GOT IT YET :'C), MAY/MAY NOT BE INCLUDED IN THIS FANFICTION, BUT MOST LIKELY WILL BE._** You have been warned!

One last thing...

_DISCLAIMER: If I owned these characters, I would be extremely proud to have such a wonderful, dedicated fandom- but I don't own these characters._  
_I sorely wish I did, though. :c_

So, have fun reading, and please reply in the little white review box below. Please? Pleeease? I have cookies! Internet cookies! :3

* * *

Phoenix Wright got up on the morning of the 1st of December like every other morning; sitting up, rubbing his eyes, then yawning- twice- and putting on his blue suit, tying his tie for the umpteenth time and slipping his attorney's badge on his lapel. Phoenix noticed a coffee mug- still full to the brim with black coffee- left on his beside table, and he reluctantly drank it all in one gulp. It most certainly prepared him for the morning ahead of him, and as he walked out of the room and into the office he felt ready for anything and everything that came his way.

Phoenix was bombarded by requests as he walked through the front door of the office, said requests coming from a very familiar spirit medium clad in purple attire, someone who could always make Phoenix smile. Maya Fey's eyes were sparkling more than usual as she collided into Phoenix, almost knocking him over.

"Nick! I want a Pink Princess figurine for Christmas! Ooh, and the new trading cards, because they have _so many_ Ultra Premium Rare ones in the packs! Hey, Nick, did you know that Season 13 is finally out on DVD and Bluray 'in toy stores near you!', right? And-"

"Maya, don't you think that's a bit much?" Phoenix cut in as politely as he could, the frightening thought of his wallet completely empty filling his mind. He instantly regretted saying that, however, when Maya looked at the floor downheartedly. Phoenix sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, I know Christmas is really, really exciting- and let me just tell you that if I had all the money I would buy you all that, I really would- but that's just it. I don't have that money, and what I can save I have to use to pay my rent and my taxes so that I have somewhere to live and somewhere to work. But what I _can _promise you is that we'll have a great Christmas even without all the Steel Samurai merchandise; we'll go sledging, drink loads of hot chocolate, roast marshmallows, watch really cheesy Christmas movies, hang out with Edgeworth and everyone else, make snowmen, snow spirit mediums and snow angels- basically, really fun stuff for us to do. And we'll still have room for some presents, albeit not a huge load of them. Does that sound good?"

Maya grinned, throwing her arms around Nick's neck and hugging him tightly.

"This is going to be the best Christmas _ever_!"

Phoenix and Maya were snapped out of their Christmassy thoughts, however, when a small squeal of delight issued forth from an equally tiny spirit medium who had just entered the room.

"Pearls, sorry! We didn't see you there!" Phoenix exclaimed, still in shock, as Pearl came up to him and hugged him even tighter than Maya had done.

"That's not what matters, Mr. Nick! You said the most kind thing to Mystic Maya just then, and you really cheered her up! It's good to try and impress your future wife, Mr. Nick, and you've done just that! Mystic Maya, Mystic Maya, has he proposed yet? No? Oh, never mind- but still, hooray! Thank you, Mr. Nick, and good luck!" Pearl squealed as she ran out of the office, probably to get some food, and winked at Phoenix before she left.

Phoenix and Maya blushed deep scarlet, looking at each other with embarrassed expressions on their faces.

Pearly would never learn.


	2. 2nd December- Company

Detective Dick Gumshoe was never one for being lucky.

Trying to deliver extremely important evidence to a trial?

Gumshoe arrived halfway through it or, one time, got in a car accident that injured him slightly.

Try to earn a raise?

Gumshoe always said the wrong thing and got a horrible pay cut.

Try to get a girlfriend?

Gumshoe accidentally upset her when she was the defendant in a murder trial and he had to testify; after all, it was his job, and it wasn't like he had a choice.

Try to spend the month of December without feeling a pang of jealousy?

That was something Gumshoe was frankly unable to do.

Usually, the detective would go shopping at the local supermarket , and see families with shopping trolleys overflowing with food picking out what dessert to have after their Christmas dinner. Gumshoe would walk past them, seemingly oblivious to their joy, and picked out a couple of boxes of instant noodles to eat for the next week. As he passed Christmas carollers on the street being watched intently by a few adult couples- kissing each other briefly before turning back to the singers, hands held tightly together- Gumshoe was always disappointed that they had all the good things at Christmas; great food, loved ones, and happiness. Gumshoe couldn't help but feel downhearted when he heard the bells ring at night to symbolise Christmas morning, knowing that it was going to end up like every other day in December.

But this year, it was different. This year, he had Maggey by his side, a woman that Gumshoe had fallen in love with since they had met on the force when she was still a rookie. Maggey was going to spend Christmas with him- that wonderful, beautiful, hilarious Maggey- and, as Gumshoe thought of all the things they were going to do, he didn't feel jealous at all.

In fact, he felt content and wonderful, more so than ever before.

And so, as Detective Dick Gumshoe tucked into his beef-flavoured instant noodles on the night of the 2nd of December, he reminded himself just how lucky he really was as he looked up from his plate and into Maggey's kind blue eyes.


	3. 3rd December- Christmas Trees

Franziska von Karma stood suspiciously in front of a long cardboard box laying on the floor, glancing over the label on the front. It proclaimed that its contents were that of an Artificial Christmassy Christmas Tree from a shop nearby and that it was most definitely artificial. Franziska, however, was confused.

_Christmas trees are not this small! Well, they definitely are not in all the pictures that I've seen, so the size is most certainly an issue here._

This was Franziska's very first time celebrating Christmas- on her own, anyway- and she _would not _have done so if the combined efforts of her close friend Adrian Andrews and her little brother Miles Edgeworth had finally won her over. She didn't want to set up anything the wrong way, however, and so Adrian and Miles had both promised to help her for the next few days, today being Adrian's turn.

Adrian always found a way to help out and was a pleasure to be around. Franziska liked that.

Glancing quickly at the calendar which insisted that it was the 3rd of December, Franziska went back to her work, opening up the cardboard box to find several plastic branches clad in small, plastic needles to symbolise a classic Christmas tree. Realising that there were no decorations that came with the box, Franziska could only sigh in relief that Adrian had left a few boxes of ornamental baubles and tinsel on a comfy armchair stood in front of the fireplace before she headed out to the local convenience store.

_Right. Time to put together this foolish contraption._

The instruction manual for the Artificial Christmassy Christmas Tree stated that there was a part longer than all the others and that was the trunk, so to speak; Franziska found it and stood it up in an instant. _Child's play_, she thought, reading the next page of the manual which informed her that the colour codes on the ends of the branches corresponded to the colour-coded slots on the trunk.

Supposedly an easy task, Franziska laughed in contempt and proceeded onward, grabbing the first branch and slotting it in.

The branch refused to fit.

Franziska tried it again, but it still would not stay in the slot, and so she checked the colour code on the branch- orange. Checking the side of the tree which she had put the branch in, she looked at the colour and saw that it was indeed orange.

_Then why is the branch not-_

Franziska then realised that there were numbers that corresponded to exactly which slot on which colour the branch would fit into. After a huff of frustration, Franziska thought about the most logical way she could piece the tree together, at last coming up with a plan.

She placed all the branches with the colour red into one pile, then those with orange, then those with yellow, blue and green into their own separate piles. There were still some remaining, she noticed, that had no colour at all- and so she looked about the tree for some sort of 'plain' colour area.

None could be found, so Franziska looked in the cardboard box, and discovered some small colour tags that had fallen off some of the branches- namely, those that were remaining from Franziska's piles.

Now extremely annoyed, she- by instinct- lashed out with her whip; unfortunately, it hit the tree, and it fell to the ground with a small thud- most of the attached branches falling off as well. With a cry of frustration Franziska decided to give up on the wretched tree for the moment, sit on the floor next to it and patiently wait for Adrian to return- however, she didn't have to wait long, as who should enter five minutes later but Adrian Andrews, her hands full of shopping bags and an amused expression on her face as she saw the tree.

"What happened?" Adrian asked, to which Franziska huffed and crossed her arms like an annoyed schoolchild. Adrian found that quite cute of her- but that was beside the point.

"This foolishly foolish tree has so many foolish complications to it! I can't believe how long it takes to put up this piece of plastic! I just don't- _Adrian Andrews, stop laughing at me!_"

Adrian had to put a hand to her mouth to stop her bout of laughter and avoid getting a harsh scolding from her friend- Franziska refrained from whipping her, for some reason, and it was truly a relief for Adrian. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she regained her composure and smiled warmly at Franziska, holding out a hand to lift her up which she gladly took.

"Would you like some help, Franziska?"

Franziska glanced at Adrian with a look of uncertainty in her eyes- Franziska prided herself on being perfect and needing absolutely no help at all to do things- but then nodded lightly, smiling weakly back.

"Yes, Adrian, I would like that very much. Let's just get this all over with…"


	4. 4th December- Loved ones

Hey, everybody! Hope you're enjoying the Advent season, and I hope your day has been good so far. Has it? :)

I just came to inform you all that this chapter was a pairing request by rueskatniss for an Apollo x Klavier chapter.

If you do not like Apollo x Klavier or any kind of cheesy yaoi fluff then I am very sorry about that but you will have to wait until tomorrow for a non-pairing chapter. Sorry once again! :)

Fortunately, I like this pairing, so it was a little easier to write than other pairings. :D

Enjoy!

* * *

Klavier Gavin and Apollo Justice were sitting in the living room of Klavier's apartment together on the sofa, watching the ending credits of _It's a Wonderful Life_ roll as they sat together, holding hands under the blanket they were sharing to keep themselves warm in the cold temperature of the winter days. Klavier let go of Apollo's hand and draped his arm around Apollo's shoulder, holding him tightly to his side, a small blush coming to both of their cheeks as Klavier smiled warmly.

"I think that I have a pretty wonderful life as well. Don't you, Apollo?"

"Yes, I agree. I think I have a very wonderful life, and it's even better when I get to spend it with you, you know." Apollo replied, blushing madly as he realised what he had just said. Klavier laughed and pecked Apollo lightly on the forehead affectionately before reaching over to the table next to him; grabbing what seemed to be a piece of fruit loaf, Klavier started to munch on it, smiling at its deliciousness.

"Hey, Klavier? I've been wondering…what _is _that fruit loaf stuff? You've been eating it all day."

Klavier's eyes seemed to sparkle as he exclaimed, with an air of great excitement, " It's called Weihnachtsstollen!"

At Apollo's blank expression, Klavier paused. "In Germany, anyway."

Apollo tried to fathom out what he could from the hints of German that Klavier had taught him, wondering what exactly this 'Weihnachtsstollen' could be. Of course, Apollo was not blind, and he could plainly see that it was some sort of fruit loaf or cake- but it really bugged him, because somewhere deep down in his mind he knew what the words meant.

Then it hit him, and he nearly put his hand to his forehead in shame. How could he forget what Klavier had been going on about for the past 4 days?

_Of course…Weihnachts is basically Christmas…so…_

"Klavier, does it mean something along the lines of 'Christmas cake' or 'Christmas fruit loaf'?"

Klavier's eyes retained that sparkle once more, his demeanour happy and content. "Ja, it does! Well done, Apollo."

Apollo smiled. "No problem. So…what's in it?"

"Well," Klavier began to explain, looking like he could burst with excitement, "it's like a regular fruit loaf, in a way- but it's special. You see, it has marzipan in the middle. It's quite the surprise when you taste it! It has a lovely, extremely sweet taste to it, and that's why I like it."

Apollo immediately felt hungry; Apollo loved food, and listening to someone talk about the delights of stollen was becoming just too much for him. "Can I try some? Please?"

Klavier laughed and handed it over. "There's no need to ask, you know. But be warned; the taste isn't for everyone. Some think that it's too sickly, but I love it. I remember when my brother- you know who I mean- used to persuade me that it was bad for my teeth and would eventually rot them away just so he could eat it all for himself. He loved the taste, too."

Klavier chuckled once more, but it was with a hint of solemnness that he did so. Apollo immediately noticed this and, before Klavier thought any more about the things that had hurt him and continued to do so, he rapidly tried to think of something to change the subject. When an idea came to mind, Apollo noticed that he had not eaten the stollen yet and bit into it, chewing gently. The sickly taste of it came immediately and Apollo didn't expect it to be as sweet as it was- but, after swallowing it and taking another bite, the surprise wore off and he realised that it was, in fact, delicious.

"Mmmmm…Klavier, this is really good! May I have another piece- if that's OK with you?"

Klavier shrugged his shoulders gently and frowned. "You certaintly could, mein liebe, if there was any more left." He grinned wickedly. "I eat most of it, and I'm sorry you can't have any more, I really am- but a little bird once told me to 'waste not, want not'. It's true, isn't it?"

Apollo understood, but still his bottom lip stayed fixed above his top lip and his expression downhearted. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

Klavier noticed Apollo's look and pulled him closer in a little hug of sorts. "Why don't we make some of our own?" he asked, seeing Apollo's face lighten up a significant amount and smiling at the sight. All of a sudden, Apollo's eyes widened and he broke into a huge grin, turning towards Klavier with an idea nestled firmly in his mind.

"Klavier…I just had the most amazing idea…"

* * *

Trucy Wright rushed towards the front door of the Wright Anything Agency as soon as she heard a knock ring out, resonating through the office. Phoenix Wright was working on the sofa, reading a case file at a remarkably relaxed pace as he took a sip of grape juice after every paragraph or two. He was just about to tell Trucy to get the door before he noticed that she was already there and peering through the keyhole, evidently listening to a conversation that the two outside were having, breaking into a wide grin as she mouthed towards him, "It's Klavier and Apollo, together as usual, Daddy!"

Phoenix smiled before turning back to his case file.

_That's my Trucy; always knowing what I need before I know that I need it. She's always a step ahead of me, my little one._

Trucy was carefully scrutinizing the two through the keyhole as they ticked off a checklist they had brought along with them, held still by one of the Agency's easily recognisable (as it had Troupe Gramarye stamps, stickers and pictures decorating the entire thing) clipboards that Apollo had recently borrowed.

"So, mein liebe, who have we got left?"

"Well…" Apollo paused for a moment, counting the names on the checklist, before coming to a halt at the last two. "We've delivered to eight different people: Ema, Lana, Mr. Edgeworth, Eldoon, Wocky, Lamiroir, Mr. Payne and Vera…so Trucy and Mr. Wright are the only ones left now."

"Great! Then we can head back home and eat the rest of the batch, can't we, Apollo?"

Apollo's mouth threatened to water, before Apollo swiftly wiped away the oncoming saliva with the back of his hand. "Of course we can!"

Both men laughed alongside each other before Trucy pulled open the door and held her hands out patiently. Klavier handed her the two boxes, Trucy reading the label from the top one carefully. "It says, 'Here is some freshly-made stollen for you to eat this Christmas, Trucy With lots of love, from Klavier and Apollo'… Aww, that's so kind of you! Me and Mr. Hat will have _so _much fun eating all this. Well, if he _could _actually eat it, then that would be much better, wouldn't it?"

A loud cough was heard from inside, and Trucy realised something. "Oh, and Daddy, too."

The trio laughed loudly before Trucy turned and headed inside. "I'll only be a minute, so just wait there!"

Klavier and Apollo were left alone outside the front door of the Wright Anything Agency, holding each other's hands to keep their hands, and their hearts, warm and content. Apollo squeezed Klavier's right hand to get his attention, Klavier turning to face him in evident surprise.

"You know, Klavier…not to weird you out or anything here, but I think you're like a piece of stollen."

Klavier had to put his hand to his miuth to stop himself bursting into a fit of hysterics, instead releasing his hand from his mouth and responding with a thoroughly amused expression. "How so?"

Apollo looked embarrassed, a slight blush coming to his cheeks.

"Well…you're like a regular prosecutor and a regular heart-throb rockstar- but you're so, so special in many more ways than one. You see, you have such a kind heart beneath all that pain you've suffered- and believe me, you've gone through a lot more than anyone I know. It was quite the surprise when I got to know you. You have this wonderful, kind, warm-hearted, considerate personality, and that's one of the reasons why I like you so much.

Some think that you're stuck up and not a very nice person, but I love you- so don't you ever feel like you have to change just to please people, OK? Oh, and also," Apollo grinned, "you make every day feel like a special occasion- just like Christmas. So, that's why I think that you're like a piece of stollen- you are yourself. And that's a great thing to be."

Klavier stood in silence for but a moment before, after smiling warmly and his misty eyes gleaming, kissing Apollo passionately and making sure that Apollo knew that Klavier loved him more than words could say and was forever grateful that he had found someone like him- always thinking about him, kind, unique and indeed very special. Apollo didn't break from the kiss and neither did Klavier, as time seemed to stand still in that very moment. Their lips' gentle touch conveyed every little part of their love for each other, expressing what words could not.

Only the sound of an opening door and a girl's laughter could snap them back to reality, blushing when they realised what had just happened- but grinning widely all the same.

"Oh, get a room, you two."


	5. 5th December- Snowmen

Kay Faraday scooped up a pile of snow into her gloved hands, pressing it firmly against the snowman she was building. Moulding a medium-sized shape and placing it on the snowman's head, Kay stepped back for a moment and admired her handiwork, little snowflakes dropping to the ground beneath her.

_Oh yeah! This'll be awesome!_

Kneeling down, she immediately felt the cold of the snow pierce against her bare legs, instantly regretting wearing her normal Yatagarasu attire and a large, fluffy coat over it. Shaping the snowman's limbs, Kay remembered what she used to do with her father when she was but a young child; Byrne and herself used to create snow figures and see who would take the longest. Byrne always finished first but, out of the kindness of his heart, told Kay each time that hers was the best by far.

With this memory in mind, Kay pushed on her hard labour, continuing to create large fragments of the snowman and tracing her finger in the snow to create patterns and detail. Her eyes fixated on the snowman, it took five more minutes for her to finish her masterpiece, beaming as she did so.

Kay stood up and took a final, proud look at her snow version of the Jammin' Ninja with her hands on her hips and her eyes sparkling.


	6. 6th December - Ebenezer Scrooge

Miles Edgeworth didn't, in reality, like the Christmas season.  
It was cold, wet, and damp; he preferred heat and warmth.  
It was snowy; he was more used to the hot, extremely sunny weather around his area.

It was happy and jolly; he had no reason to be. Especially since, in this very month, his father had been murdered and therefore taken away from him for good.  
But he didn't want to think about that.

Miles' dislike of Christmas and his rather workaholic tendencies went hand-in-hand in December as, much like the harsh wind and cold forced people into donning coats, hats and scarves, all the parts of Christmas that annoyed him increased his drive to work even harder- and he fell into the habit of working late hours and arriving back home, exhausted, the following morning.

Miles particularly enjoyed his long working hours; he concluded that not only would he be able to get many things done that could cause him great stress and pressure were they left late and have an excuse to finally be alone for once, but he could also drink much more tea than usual _and _also catch up on Season 8 of The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo, which he had recently bought on DVD the previous week. As confusing and hilarious as it may seem, Miles loved The Steel Samurai and tended to accidentally blurt out things related to the show that clearly showed his deep interest in it, and so any chance he got to watch it was a well-earned one.

At ten o' clock precisely on the 7th of December, Miles' red sports car pulled up into an empty parking space of the parking lot at the Prosecutor's Offices. Miles made his way up to office 1202 which on the mahogany door bore the plaque, 'High Prosecutor's Office, 1202- Miles Edgeworth', opening the door gently to find nothing out of place. With a sigh of relief he crossed the room to his desk, sitting down at it and immediately beginning to start, with a sharp HB pencil in hand, to work on a case file from a case he was to prosecute in three weeks' time.

It was a surprise, therefore, to find a stuttering secretary deliver a package to him ten minutes later. Opening it, Miles found a hardback copy of _'_A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens and a note which read the following:

_Hey, Miles, I found this in the bookstore while I was shopping for presents. I thought it'd be nice for an early Christmas present for you, and there's a certain likeness between you and the main character. It would suit you.  
Have a nice day, and don't stay up too late doing paperwork, OK? I don't know how you manage two hours of the stuff but trust me, it's too much for anyone if you stay up till midnight doing it._

_It will be good to see you again, Edgeworth- outside of the courtroom, I mean.  
Best wishes,_

_Phoenix._

Miles didn't know whether to be touched at Phoenix's gift or offended that he had been compared to _Ebenezer Scrooge, _of all fictional characters to be compared to, and so decided to think upon the latter.

After a moment of thinking, Miles understood Phoenix's statement; it was a known fact that he didn't like Christmas and that he loved to work. He also was a little hard on his assistant, and didn't like what he didn't know or wasn't sure of…in fact, Miles definitely understood where Phoenix had come from.

…_Well, this is certainly awkward. If the similarities are that noticeable…_

Miles resolved to change Phoenix's mind. Yes, he _still _didn't like Christmas and he wasn't going to change his opinion anytime soon, but he did like one aspect of Christmas- that everyone did something and all came together in some sort of unity. For example, he often thought about how _one earth _his and Adrian's combined efforts managed to persuade Franziska- perhaps the most Scrooge-like person he knew- to celebrate Christmas this year, but it was nonetheless nice to see that everyone- him, Adrian, Franziska, Detective Gumshoe, Maggey, Phoenix, Maya, Pearl and many others- were all celebrating Christmas. 

It made him feel a little bit better about participating in something he wasn't all that fond of.

Now a little more relaxed, he picked up the book and flipped to the first page of the story, skipping the introduction entirely and becoming slowly absorbed in it, smiling as he read the first sentences that he was all so familiar with:

'_Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that…'_


	7. 7th December- Wrapping presents

Lana Skye sat alone in her living room, diligently wrapping up presents with festive-themed wrapping paper and sticky tape as best she could. After each had been carefully wrapped, she placed a gift tag on and stuck that down with more sticky tape, placing the has-been present on her overflowing pile of presents she was to deliver. A box still wrapped in festive paper waited patiently for her attention- when she turned to grab hold of it, she instead pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a few pieces of stollen she had been given by two friends of hers who were greatly in love with each other. Laughing at the thought of the duo's cute antics, she eat a piece of the stollen happily before turning back to her stack of presents.

After Lana had finished the penultimate gift on her list, she checked the handy list she had kept close at hand so that she could refer back to it at almost any time. Spotting the last name, a small grin lit up her face as she went to the kitchen to retrieve the present addressed to one _Ema Skye_.

Lana returned soon after and thought for a moment about what her sister would be getting up to at the hour. Ema was a scientist in the making and knew almost everything to do with the subject; however, she had recently been disheartened by failing the test to become a forensic scientist and becoming a detective instead, working under prosecutor Klavier Gavin. Ema's dreams had not entirely been crushed, however, and she continued to do her own experiments, helping the forensics team whenever possible and sometimes conducting her own forensic research at a crime scene to help the defence or prosecuting attorney on the case. When Lana asked her sister if that was allowed, Ema merely replied,

"Sis, the fop doesn't care what I do as long as I don't throw my Snackoos at him, and the forensics team like me more than any other detective. I'll be fine!"

With Ema's voice and trademark Snackoo munching stuck in her head, Lana reached for the wrapping paper and started to wrap up the bottle of Luminol she now held gently in her hands, laughing quietly.


	8. 8th December- Food

Angel Starr sat comfortably at her desk in her office, room number 1902, situated in the Lunchland headquarters- at least, that's what she liked to call it- and took a single, miniscule sip of her overly-sweetened green tea. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Angel crossed one leg over the other and looked up at the clock upon the wall, staring at it patiently.

_11:57...11:58...11:59..._

"Come in." Angel called, and the door opened on exactly 12 o' clock, a young secretary walking shyly in after it. He took a small breath in as he walked up to where Angel was sat, blushing madly, and thrust various papers toward her waiting hands.

"T-the design and development team wanted to ask you if the new Christmas designs were all OK," the young man stuttered, glancing over at the brightly decorated Christmas tree in the corner of Angel's office and then back to Angel, "and…uh…they need it back as soon as possible. I-If that's alright with you, that is."

Angel smiled politely and took the papers from the secretary, looking them over and making notes on them with her newly-opened blue pen. "No, no, not at all. Let's see these, then…Cinnamon Delight sounds like a good one…oh, and I remember that Orange Peel one from a few years back! That'll be good. But…something called Nice Nutmeg just doesn't sound right. If they introduce a snow-themed one, anyhow, Lunchland will go downhill…"

Angel flicked through the papers until she got to the last one. Flicking her bangs, she crossed out the entire diagram with a menacing look, and then handed all the papers back to the secretary- her smile having returned.

"Here you go. I checked them all, and most of them are fine, but some need _serious _revision."

Angel dismissed the secretary with a wave of her hand and, as he walked out the door and shut it slowly behind him, she winked playfully at him before realising he had dropped a note on the floor. Picking it up suspiciously, she read it through and immediately broke into a sly grin.

_Uh, there's this French restaurant a few blocks down called Tres Bien…I've never been there, but apparently it's really good, and I wondered…would you like to go with me sometime?_

Angel thought for a moment before getting up, grabbing her coat and heading out of her office with a smile.

_I don't think I want to go somewhere with you just yet, pretty boy, but I'll check out the restaurant._

_I'll bet Lunchland gives it a run for its money._

An hour later Angel emerged from Tres Bien, her face paler than usual and a sapphire blue bottle clasped in her hand, seriously rethinking her nickname of 'Cough-Up Queen' and considering giving it to someone else as she looked back over her shoulder with intense hatred.


	9. 9th December- Santa Claus

Larry Butz walked over to his stall at Gourd Lake with a saddened demeanour and his head hung low. Arriving at the stall, he examined it closely; it was just like a time long ago when Samurai Dogs were all the rage with the kids, its blue, silver and red-themed paintwork standing out as much as the Samurai Dogs' tantalising smell. Taking off his Santa hat, Larry remembered the good times he had back then- when he got to be a witness in a murder trial and help save his best friend, when he made lots of money, when he was carefree and hadn't found himself just yet…Larry wanted to go back to those times.

Unfortunately, he could not.

Larry was already earning his keep and had been for a while under the alias of Laurice Deauxnim. After deciding that his true purpose in life was that of painting and artwork, Larry took tutelage from a professional artist named Elise Deauxnim who was more than happy to take him under her wing. Within a few weeks, Larry's true talent for the arts began to shine through- but when Elise was sadly murdered in a horrible incident Larry was determined to make her proud, and took painting up as his career.

As time went on, Larry managed to earn some money from his new-found talent; enough to pay the bills and the rent, and enough for household essentials, but that was that. Larry soon found another girlfriend to keep him company- a model named Kathryn- but, only recently, she had dumped him for someone else she had fallen in love with, rendering poor Larry heart-broken. As he looked at his Santa hat accompanying his outfit, he thought of Kiyance; one of his former girlfriends, and the person who had given him the outfit for a Christmas long since past.

Larry clasped his hat tightly in his hands.

_Man, if there is a Santa Claus out there- a real one, I mean- I'd like him to know that I've been a very good boy this year, and I would like someone who loves me for me and who would never dump me for the world.  
_

…_And I'd also like him to know that Ms. Luck has been a very naughty girl this year.  
She neglects me all the time._

_I don't want her to get any presents._

Smiling weakly, Larry rubbed his hands together to keep them warm, and then moved on to making himself a nice hot chocolate (topped with marshmallows, whipped cream and cinnamon, of course) from the shiny new machines he had bought to use in his stall.  
Donning his Santa hat, Larry spotted his first customer of the day walking towards him, and he grinned widely.

_OK, here we go! Let's earn some money, shall we?_


	10. 10th December- Snow

Why, hello, everyone! It seems we're now on Chapter 10! :D  
If you take another look, I've updated 3 chapters today; this one, and two others I missed on the 7th and the 9th. Go back and read those if you want! :)  
As with pairing requests, I've been getting a lot recently, so can I lay down one more rule for you guys?

_NEW PAIRING REQUEST RULE_:_ NO DUAL DESTINIES, PLEASE._

As much as I'd love to, I can't play it at the moment because I don't have it. I only got a 3DS very, very recently, I've just finished Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (who knew Bloom was working for Bronev and Targent?! D:), and someone is getting it for me at Christmas.  
I've spotted a few spoilers here and there, mainly about Apollo's childhood friend Clay, who he recieved his catchphrase "I'm fine!" from, but they don't really phase me much.  
Anyway, the point is that because I haven't played it, I don't understand the pairings. Sorry. :c

I got a Phoenix/Edgeworth request lately too, and as it is my OTP I was over the moon, however I cannot write that pairing in this because I have already written two chapters on Phoenix and Edgeworth, one for each, where their relationship is just good friends. It would be a little confusing if I just changed that... so, sorry again!  
Same thing for the Phoenix/Maya I got.

Good news is that I will be writing a Phoenix/Edgeworth fic after this, possibly with multiple chapters. Keep an eye out! ;D

So, that aside, here is Chapter 10 for you! :3  
I hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

Marvin Grossberg sat in his stately office, reclining back in his spinning leather chair as he carefully cleaned his glasses with some cleaning spray and a cloth. When he had finished, and his glasses were sparkling clean, Marvin took out a sharp HB pencil and began to work diligently on a case file; after all, the good, hard-working reputation of Grossberg Law Offices was not to be tarnished. It took some more time before Marvin realised that he had accidentally looked over a quarter of the file and he, now

annoyed, flicked back to that part and re-read it through again, soon getting absorbed into his work.

After he had finished his case file, he put it, and the pencil, down onto to his desk and got up from his comfortable seat, taking a quick glance at the wreath he had hung up on the side of his door. If anything could remind him of Christmas, that was it; clad in green leaves and small, crimson red berries, with a sheen of silver from the glitter that had been generously spread over it when it had been made, the wreath was a nice, festive addition to Marvin's office. Furthermore, Marvin had also carefully chosen and placed several incense burners, sticks and scented candles around the room, said candles giving off a warm, comforting glow. The combined smell, Marvin had noticed, the first day he had used the candles and incense, was delightful; it gave him an impression of a crackling fire, cloves, aniseed, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberries, oranges and lemons.

"Ah, the scent of fresh lemons…like the days of my youth," he muttered happily to himself as the smell wafted tantalisingly around his nostrils, filling him with a most pleasant feeling that he just couldn't shake off. He had the urge to burst out laughing for no apparent reason, but that would be unprofessional of him; ergo, he kept silent and hummed the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne' as he looked up at the grandfather clock and realised that it was almost time to close for the night. Grabbing his coat, gloves, and taking a sip of his now extremely cold coffee before gathering his personal belongings, he walked casually down the lobby and opened the front door.

To Marvin's great surprise, it had begun to snow, the white flakes drifting slowly down in front of him as he stepped out onto the streets. The flakes accompanied the many Christmas lights and decoration people had put up perfectly; much like an orchestra playing a piece, every instrument coming together as one to charm and enchant the audience. In the same way did the snow seem to slot everything into place- the decorations, the smells, the food, the trees and wreaths, the presents, the snowmen, the Santa Clauses- and, in Marvin's opinion, make it feel as if the Christmas season truly had arrived.


	11. 11th December- Mistletoe

Sorry for not posting this yesterday; my wi-fi was playing up.  
Hope you are having a great Advent so far! :D

* * *

Pearl Fey was over the moon on the morning of the 11th of December; her cousin, Maya, and her good friend Phoenix Wright- whom she was staying with for Christmas- had gone to get some food in preparation for the coming week. Pearl was certain that the two were, as she put it, 'special someones'- in fact, she was much more than certain- and tried everything in her power to get the two together, so Maya and Phoenix going shopping together really kindled her determination.

After yet another bout of daydreaming, Pearl decided to put her plan into full action- she had been thinking on it for some time now, and after buying what she needed at the local market she had visited with Phoenix and her cousin, it was now or never to start it up. Walking across the room to fetch a chair, Pearl grinned widely.

_This is going to work! I can't wait until they get home, and then when they see it, they're finally going to kiss, and…ah, it's all so exciting!_

Clapping her hands together, she pulled a chair into the middle of the Wright and Co. Law Offices, took a plastic bunch of mistletoe out of her pocket, and hung it by its thread from the ceiling, standing on the chair to give her a temporary boost of height. After repeating this action several different times, she stood proudly and looked at her handiwork before turning and hiding behind the office sofa as she heard the door creak open.

A spirit medium clad in purple by the name of Maya Fey and a lawyer with incredibly spiky hair entered, setting their bags down and looking at each other wearily.

"Wow, that was a lot to carry, Nick! My back hurts…"

"I know, doesn't it?"

"…Nick! Can we get some burgers?"

"Not just yet, Maya."

"Oh, pleeeeeeease?"

Both people stopped as they saw the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, Pearl's breath catching in her throat.  
Maya looked at Phoenix.

Phoenix looked at Maya.

Both stared at the mistletoe.

Maya looked back at Phoenix quickly and, without saying anything, gave him a short peck on the cheek. As Phoenix's face started to rapidly turn red, Maya marched over to the sofa and immediately looked behind it, finding an awe-struck Pearl with a grin on her face. Maya promptly started to tickle her dazed cousin on the side of her neck, causing Pearl to laugh out loud and try to stop Maya's hand with her own, but to no avail did she do so.

"Ahhh! Mystic Maya, stop that! It tickles!" Pearl laughed, only to be replied with a curt shake of the head from Maya and a small smirk.

"This is your punishment for making me kiss Nick, OK?"

"Ahhh!-but-but-it wasn't-you love him, so- oh, that tickles!"

Maya laughed before letting go, looking in the other direction to see Phoenix unpacking the bags with an extremely crimson face, and turned back to Pearl.

"Serves you right!"


	12. 12th December- Gingerbread

Sorry for the two-day delay, guys. I was pretty busy, and I was out of ideas until today. Writer's block is a common thing with me... -_-  
Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and are enjoying your Advent season so far! :D

* * *

Bikini Fey stood by the window of the kitchen in the main building in Hazakura Temple , looking out upon her understudies as they trudged, towels wrapped firmly around them, back into another building which served as their dorms. Bikini spotted them shivering and their teeth chattering noisily; today had been a very big test- at least, for them- and their task was to last an hour under a waterfall in the freezing cold December weather. It was, in fact, _supposed _to last for three hours with two fifteen-minute breaks- but Bikini was a kind soul, and knew that the elders had placed the challenges up to such a level that was too harsh on her new students.

It was Christmas, anyhow, and she didn't want to put strain on them in the festive season.

Thinking of Christmas made her remember why she was in the kitchen, and she quickly checked the time on the wall clock, which proclaimed that it was ten past two in the evening. _It should be ready by now_, she thought, as she opened the oven door to a delicious smell of gingerbread. Pulling out the tray, clad in her apron and patterned oven gloves, Bikini ran her eyes over the circular biscuits, searching for any mistakes or faults in her baking. None were apparent, and so she put the kettle on to boil as she prepared some hot chocolate, humming _Fairytale of New York _to herself.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Iris Fey walked in with a small smile on her face and a happy demeanour.

"Sister Bikini, I just went to check on the girls," Iris began, her smile widening. "They're doing great, even after their first real test of inner strength- you're very lucky to have them, Sister, and they're very lucky to have you."

Bikini laughed loudly. "Ho ho ho! Am I really that good a teacher? Your skills are just as wonderful."

As the corners of Iris' mouth curled upward into a shy smile of appreciation, Bikini held out a circular-shaped treat towards Iris. "Biscuit? I made them in the hour my girls were training."

"That would be nice," Iris replied, taking the gingerbread and taking a small nibble. "Mmmmm. That is good."

"Isn't it? Gingerbread makes everything better, especially at Christmas time."

"It does. I'll help with the hot chocolate, if you would like- I'm guessing it's for your soaking wet pupils, right?"

Bikini laughed joyfully once more, answering Iris' question with a small nod. "Yes, yes, you're right. Much obliged for the help- but you're welcome to have a cup too, you know."

"Thanks!" Iris grinned, before turning to the counter and spooning dark brown powder from a glass jar into five separate mugs with painted names on them: in order, they read- from left to right- _Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, Rose and Opal. _In the second mug, Iris made sure she did not add any milk, and then handed two of the mugs to Bikini to hold. Once everything was ready, biscuits plated and mugs filled, Iris and Bikini delivered the food and drink to the girls in the opposite building, receiving much thanks and compliment.

Iris looked towards Bikini and Bikini looked towards Iris, their eyes meeting. As they remembered their days as students here and in Kurain Village, they grinned happily and turned around to look back at the girls.

"They've still got a long way to go," Iris began, "but they're doing much better than I did when I was at that stage, let me tell you."

The duo burst into laughter as Bikini replied, "You hit the nail on the head there, Sister- right on the head."


	13. 13th December- Memories

Like I said last chapter, sorry for the delay. :c  
Oh, and I also popped in to say that there is **_TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS SPOILERS FOR THE END OF CASE_**_** FIVE**.  
_I have no doubt that you all have played it, but if there's any newbies to the best game series ever reading this chapter, that message was just for them. :)

* * *

Diego Armando sat, alone as always, in his solitary prison cell- well, he was not exactly Diego Armando anymore, as he had abandoned that life long ago- and twiddled his thumbs. He listened the sounds of footsteps briskly travelling down the hallways, keys rattling, inmates smoking their cigarettes, the sharp scratching of a stone on a wall to create a tally mark, the low but hurried chatter of the prisoner two cells to the left- who Diego was sure was going mad- and the half-asleep prisoner next to Diego telling the man to shut up, the odd guard barking out orders to both prisoners and other guards, amidst many other things.

It was a surprise, then, when Diego overheard a conversation that two of the younger, newly-recruited guards were having.

"It's the 13th of December today, sir!"

"Yes, it is. What do you want for Christmas?"

"I want a new computer."

"Any in mind?"

"Those Macs are nice. I would love one of those."

"They are very nice, aren't they? I want…"

Diego refrained from listening any further as the fact that it was almost Christmas sunk in. He had not expected that- then again, there had been some talk of the season lately, but that was from the inmates and Diego was, if only a bit, certain that he was the sanest person out of them all. Moving his mask into a more comfortable position, Diego reminisced on days long since past- the days when he was a defence attorney at Grossberg Law Offices. He smiled weakly and chuckled as he remembered the times he had had with the girl he loved back then, the work they had done together, and their colleagues: Hammond, Rachael the secretary and of course their boss, Marvin Grossberg.

Diego wondered how Marvin was doing, and if he still went on about lemons and his intense haemorrhoid problem. It made him laugh loudly until the same sleepy prisoner shouted at him to be quiet, to which he huffed in annoyance and smiled instead. It had been a long time since then, for sure, and Diego had experienced all three sides to the law- he had been a defence attorney, prosecutor, and then a criminal himself.

He would do anything to go back to the days at Grossberg Law Offices. Anything.

As Diego thought about all of his past memories, the two guards split up after ending their conversation on an extremely good note. One of them passed Diego's cell, and without thinking nodded curtly and uttered a cheerful, "Merry Christmas, Armando." towards him. Diego immediately looked up to see that the guard was retreating, and smirked as he wished the guard back, happy memories flooding his mind once more.


	14. 14th December- Friendship

This chapter would have been much longer, but I'm really tired right now and I cut it a little short. There would have been more detail of each round of the competition you'll read about in this chapter, but...I'm sorry. I'm exhausted today... -_-

Please forgive me? :c

Anyway, this is **_not_ **a pairing chapter, just so you all know. :)

Enjoy this, and the fact that it's only ten days until Christmas Eve! :D

* * *

On a cold winter's afternoon in the park, two people- a young woman and a teenage boy- sit facing each other on a bench, eyes glaring icily and minds churning, thinking of the next move they would have to pull. Hastily, but without faltering, the boy looked over his hand of cards- nothing seemed to stick out, so he looked again, this time his eyes picking up a certain feature of the fourth card he held and smirking. This was it; the thing he needed to win the match, and he would not, and could not, lose to _her._

Smiling at the boy's sudden bout of determination, the young woman swept her hazel eyes over her hand, adjusting her glasses up her nose as they started to move gradually downward. She spotted a certain card in her pile- the fourth, to be precise- and checked it out: it had an extremely good feature, but that came with a certain compromise; if the opponent chose a card with the same feature, the move was invalid. Biting her lip lightly, she decided to risk it; after all, she could not lose to the teenager in front of her- she was older, she had a job related to said game and its theme, and had been playing for much longer than he had. If she lost, she wouldn't be able to live it down for some time, but it relieved her to think that if the boy lost, she would have proven herself to him.

Peering over her glasses, she finally spoke.

"Ready?"

The boy laughed loudly, smirking a little as his laugh faded away. "I've been ready for some time, actually."

"Well, it naturally doesn't pain me to tell _you_ that I have a pretty strong card in my hand."

"Well, I also have a strong card, and I plan to use it to my advantage."

The young woman snorted. "What else would you do with it? Use it as fuel, or something?"

After she received a piercing glare from the boy, both took out their chosen card and held it firmly, its back toward their opponent. They nodded at each other before starting the countdown.

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One…"

"GO!" They both shouted, slamming their cards down onto the space between them on the bench. It was evident, after a few excited and nervous looks at the attributes of each character on the _Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo Trading Card Game_ cards that the young woman's card had won, but she still had one thing left to ascertain. Looking over the boy's card, she broke into a grin when she saw that the boy's card had no matching features, making her the official winner of their match.

"Ugh! Penny, why are you so good at this?!" the boy moaned, his friend Penny Nichols laughing and shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't know, Cody. I guess it's just practise," she began, "and the fact that I'm a bigger fan than you."

Cody's eyes widened dramatically as he turned to look her in the eye, his glare returning.

"…What did you _just say?_"

"That I was a bigger fan than you. Why?"

"Oh, nothing, except from the fact that _that is a complete and utter lie_."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes."

"Nope."

"Uh-huh."

"Of course not!"

"Look, Cody," Penny began, sighing a little, "just accept the fact that you're-"

"_You're not a bigger fan than me!"_

Cody looked almost like he was to burst into tears, so Penny decided to stop with her line of conversation and instead make it a win-win situation for her- create an opportunity for her to prove that she was right and also spark her and Cody's raw determination to win again.

"Hey, Cody…how about we have a competition?"

Cody looked at Penny suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"To see who's the biggest fan out of us two. We can have four rounds- singing the theme song, testing our knowledge of trivia and episode detail, sword fighting in cosplay and having a snowball fight."

"A snowball fight?"

"Well, you know, it's still fighting. And it is Christmas and all."

"I suppose you're right, Penny."

After gathering their cards and belongings, the two made their way over to some young carol singers to begin their first test, both smirking cynically.

* * *

Throats sore, brains racked and energy drained out of them, Penny and Cody made their way to the former Samurai Dog stall to get a Samurai Dog as their mid-competition snack. At the moment, the score was a tie; Penny had won the singing, Cody had won the knowledge- albeit by one point- and the swordfight had ended in a tie, leaving the overall score 2-2. As the duo approached the redecorated stall, a man wearing a Santa suit appeared behind the counter, laughing merrily when he saw them both.

"Ho ho ho! Welcome to Santa's Snack Shack, where hot chocolate, marshmallows, biscuits and other Christmas food and drink live in abundance together! Now, young man, what would you like for Christmas?"

Cody gave him a look. "That isn't funny."

"Well, I'm sorry for disappointing you. Do you want food or not?" the man questioned back with a small frown.

"Yes, please, sir," Penny interrupted before Cody could say anything more, "we'd like a Samurai Dog, if that's possible. You did sell them this summer…"

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I don't sell them in the winter. I do have a Samurai Biscuit, though."

"Great! We'll have two of those!"

A 'Samurai Biscuit' was a giant gingerbread biscuit with an iced character on it- the Evil Magistrate, the Pink Princess, the Nickel Samurai, and the Iron Infant were just a few designs. As Cody tucked in to his Steel Samurai one and Penny polished off her Pink Princess-shaped one, they both climbed onto their bicycles and rode back to the park, leaving the Santa outfit-clad man alone once more.

* * *

Cody hid behind a giant rock he had found, making snowballs as fast as he could as more and more hit his make-shift shield. Throwing one back towards Penny, he made sure that he ducked down quickly afterward to avoid Penny's revenge. It was intense, but he managed to get through twenty more minutes before a snowball soared over the rock and hit him square on his back.

His back hurting a little, he took his biggest snowball and threw it as hard as he could- but it completely missed Penny and accidentally hit the window of somebody's house. It did not break, but the owner yelled out of said window, shouting that kids these days should be careful and to never do that again.

Cody and Penny both nodded and muttered a solemn "Yes, sir…" or an equally down-hearted "No, sir…" to the man's outbursts until he took out a cigarette and left the room with the window he had been shouting out of.

Penny looked at Cody, and Cody looked back at Penny. Both decided to call it quits for a day and, laughing at what just happened, confirmed that both of them were great fans and that the competition ended with two winners instead of one.


	15. 15th December- Tinsel

Man, I've _really_ been putting this off...sorry... :'c

* * *

Ron DeLite stood back and gazed at the deep emerald green tree in front of him, a little pleased at his handiwork. It wasn't long until Christmas, he gathered, and putting up the Christmas tree was the most prominent indicator of that- especially when beautifully adorned with ornamental baubles, fairy lights (which were frustratingly hard to put up, Ron knew all too well), bells, delicate angelic figures with wings unfurled and many other things. Still, even though the tree looked magnificent as it was, Ron felt like there was something missing.

_Hmmm…_

_I can't think of anything…_

Ron looked around his living room for the certain something that was missing from his tree, walking slowly across the carpet floor in an investigative manner. All of a sudden, Ron tripped over a large, protruding object and picked himself up, spotting the offending object and immediately identifying it to be a cardboard box. Opening the box proved to be helpful, as he soon found it stacked to the brim with gold and silver tinsel- which he finally realised to be the crucial object he needed to finish off the tree's decoration.

Picking up a long string of silver tinsel, Ron proceeded to wrap in around the tree in escalating circles, successfully managing the first one. After he picked up another, however, his clumsiness took over- and although he had absolutely no idea how he managed it, Ron found himself tangled in various lengths of tinsel. Trying his best to get free but to no avail, he cried out as best he could.

"Somebody help meeeeeee!"

Desiree DeLite suddenly sauntered into the room, immediately noticing her husband clad in shiny, reflective tinsel. Laughing aloud, she came over to Ron and unwrapped the tinsel from around him, twirling those same bits of golden tinsel around the tree and giving Ron a small peck on the cheek.

"Hey, you didn't do all that bad, you know! Let's finish off, shall we?"

Ron gave a soft sigh of relief. "…Yes. Let's do that."


	16. 16th December- Visiting

The idea for this stemmed from someone's kind-of request after reading the Godot chapter, so enjoy! :)

* * *

"Hey, Nick?"

Maya Fey was sitting on the sofa next to her best friend Phoenix Wright, cuddling up next to him as the ending credits of _The Polar Express _rolled onto the TV screen. Pearl was sound asleep against Phoenix's other shoulder, and so Maya and Phoenix had been talking together in hushed voices.

"Yes, Maya?" Nick asked, Maya's look suddenly turning distant.

"I wonder what Sis would have done for Christmas, Nick- at least when you and I weren't with her. Like, when she worked for Grossberg."

Phoenix pondered on it for a moment before answering with a small shrug on the shoulders. "I don't know, but she'd probably have spent it with Go- I mean, Armando. Don't you think?"

A look of deep contemplation crossed Maya's face for some time, before she jumped up, grabbed her coat and opened the door as she was putting it on. Phoenix looked thoroughly bemused before he realised something.

"Hey, Maya! Where are you-"

"Don't worry, Nick. I'll be back soon."

* * *

Two burly guards stood at the entrance to Diego's cell, unlocking it with- as Diego noted- a hint of caution. Diego sat solemnly on his bed thinking when the cell door creaked open, looking up to see the nonchalant guards looking at him with their usual monotonous expression.

"Come on, Armando, stop sulking. You have a visitor, after all."

Diego's eyes widened significantly under his mask, his mind churning at the word 'visitor'. Diego never received visitors, especially at this time of year, and he couldn't fathom just who in their right mind would _want _to see him at all. Everyone who may just have wanted to see him was dead, anyway.  
After contemplating this matter for a while as he accompanied the guards to the detention centre's visitor's room, he noticed that they had stopped outside the visitor's room door as they waited for another inmate to return from his own meeting with somebody else.

When the inmate had come out of the room in handcuffs and had flashed a toothy smile at Diego with misty, tear-filled eyes, Diego's own handcuffs were unlocked and he shook his hands rapidly to get some rapid blood circulation flowing through them again and also to make them less uncomfortable. A guard ushered him in and, after a quick word with the guard in the visitor's room, shut and locked the door behind Diego as he sat down.

The door from the other side of the fibreglass screen creaked open as a young woman, clad in spirit medium clothing, entered cautiously and sat down. Diego turned around in surprise and, when he realised just who his visitor was, shook his head and turned away.

"You didn't have to visit me, Maya. I'm…a bad person, OK? You know what happened that day, and I don't deserve your kindness."

"Mr. Armando…you aren't a bad person, and I chose to visit you. That proves that you aren't, alright?"

"…Alright."

Diego turned around to face Maya again and got himself comfortable. "So, why did you decide to visit me, anyway? Shouldn't you be relaxing, or doing something more worthwhile?"

Maya grinned warmly. "It's _Christmas, _Mr. Armando! Visiting people is most definitely worthwhile…especially if I never get to see them, right?"

Diego laughed with a miniscule hint of sadness in his voice. "You sound just like your sister, Maya. You're doing her proud, you know that? She'd be very happy about you helping Tri- I mean, _Wright_- around on his cases."

Maya smiled. "Thanks."

A silence fell between the two as they remembered Mia Fey- Maya's elder sister and Diego's former love. Mia had been unfortunately murdered a few years ago and both were still struggling to cope without her, even though both had improved a little in the time between then and now. Diego had been in a coma at the time and Maya had found her body first, making it both as emotionally hard for the both of them.

Diego, surprisingly, was the first to speak after some time.

"Thank you for visiting, Maya. I…I really appreciate it."

Maya grinned once more. "No worries."


	17. 17th December- Carols

More Edgey goodness, because we _all_ need more Edgey goodness. X3

* * *

Miles Edgeworth sat at his office desk, working diligently on a case file as deep thoughts clogged up his mind. He was perfectly content; it was a well-known fact that he enjoyed his work and, in a sense, working in general. Relaxing on a day like this was out of the question and he was more than happy to not do so- still, he had been persuaded by his best friend to spend Christmas with him _not_ in the comforts of his office room.

Still, that was days away. Miles knew that he had things to get on with, so he turned his concentration back to the file in front of him, until…

"The first Noel, the angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay…"

"In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter's night that was so deep…"

"Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel…Born is the King of Israel!"

Miles looked up, a little annoyed, at the crimson red sofa in the corner of his office- not at the sofa itself, per se, but what, or _who,_ was sitting upon it. His right-hand man, Detective Gumshoe, and his assistant and the acclaimed second Great Thief Yatagarasu, Kay Faraday, were busying themselves singing Christmas carols as they sat together, grinning happily as they belted out each line of the songs.

"Gummy, that one's too serious! Can we sing something else, something _fun_- how about Jingle Bells?" Kay asked, receiving a small smile from her dear detective friend.

"Sure!"

Miles thought of telling them to stop, but caught his tongue before he did; he didn't know why, but something stopped him from doing so. Thinking that maybe it was the hint of cheeriness in their voices that clashed together in a sort of distorted harmony- or perhaps the Christmas spirit said persons were expelling- Miles turned back to his case file and, clutching his sharp HB pencil in his hand, focused on his task.

That is, _tried _to focus on his task.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…oh, what fun it is to ride on a one-horse open sleigh-"

"Hey!"

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…"

"Oh, what fun it is to ride on a one-horse open sleigh!"

Miles gave up his case file whatsoever and decided watch the two faithful assistants sing their hearts out, smiling a little. He swore that he'd have those tunes stuck in his head for days to come.


	18. 18th December- Family

Even _more _Edgey, but it's little kid Edgey this time around. :3

* * *

"And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, every one. The end."

Gregory Edgeworth shut _A Christmas Carol_- penned by Charles Dickens, a personal favourite of his- and gently ruffled his son's hair as he sat on the end of said nine-year-old's bed. Gregory's son- Miles, his name was- smiled up at him as he suddenly thought of a question.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Miles?" Gregory's voice was laced with a hint of concern.

"I just wondered…you know Tiny Tim? Bob Cratchit's son, from the novel?"

Miles was answered with a small nod of affirmation.

"Well, while you were reading the novel to me, Dad, I thought about something; Tim had been through a lot in his lifetime, even though he was still so young. He belonged to a poor family, he was on the verge of developing a disease that could potentially kill him, he couldn't really walk without his crutches- Tim must have felt extremely helpless and sad. I wondered, though, how did he stay so cheerful when his past, present and- as he and his family must have thought- his near future was filled with such…such _pain?_"

A look of sorrow crossed Gregory's eyes for but a moment before he thought deeply for a while, taking Miles' hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Look, Miles, I don't know how he did it-I guess Charles Dickens would say the Christmas spirit."

Gregory gave a little chuckle before carrying on.

"Like I said, I don't exactly know how Tim did it- but if anything should happen to you that would ever make your past, present and future pain-filled, know that I will _always _be there for you, my son. Do you know that, Miles? Always."

Miles smiled weakly as his eyes began to close. "Thanks, Dad."


	19. 19th December- Eggnog

_Brrring….brrrring….brrrring…._

Phoenix Wright, having been sitting complacently at his desk staring at the decorated Christmas tree rather than the work he was supposed to get on with, picked up the receiver of his office phone just before his half-hearted voicemail message was delivered towards the person on the other side of the line.

"Hey there, Niiiiick…"

Phoenix sighed. "Hello, Larry. What's the problem?"

"Oh, no problem here, Nick…I'm just your average business man nowadays….no chicks around to spoil the fun…you know?"

Phoenix could almost taste the alcohol laced in Larry's voice, and it both worried and annoyed him.

"Larry," Phoenix began, with an exasperated sigh, "you're drunk. Again."

"No, I'm not…"

"Larry, you've drank too much eggnog again, and don't you _dare_ deny it. Come on, make your way over here, and me and Maya will get you fixed up."

"I don' need your help, Niiiick…"

"Yes, you do."

"Niiick, stop being such a worrywarts. I can handle this on my own."

Phoenix let out a sigh of annoyance. "Do I _have_ to go over there and formally _drag_ you from that wretched stall?"

"No…Niiick."

"Good. Now get your lazy bum over to the office. I'll see you soon, Larry."

Larry seemed to have given up his protest. "….'Kay."

Putting the phone down with a wry smile, Phoenix heard the sound of Maya's cheerful voice ring out from the office sofa.

"Nick? Who was that?"

"Oh, just Larry. He got drunk on too much eggnog; I shudder to think how much he drank, though.

Maya giggled. "Oh dear. Good luck to him if he tries to get a girlfriend in that state!"


	20. 20th December- Nativity

Manfred von Karma stood, arms crossed, in front of the local primary school's entrance waiting to pick up his daughter, Franziska, when she finished her final lesson of the day. Any day now, he'd send her to a private school that was much better than that dump of a place; it was just that he hadn't the time at the moment. Trials and hearings clogged up his days, even this close to Christmas, and he also did everything in his power to achieve guilty verdicts on every single trial he prosecuted or happened to be a part of- even though he did this normally.

"I'm here, Father." a girl's voice stated from behind him, and- whirling around to face said girl- he realised it was his daughter, Franziska. Manfred was very proud of her; she was extremely bright for her age and was most definitely the heir to the von Karma name.

"Hello, Franziska."

"Hello, Father. Today," Franziska went on as they began to walk, "they chose parts for the Nativity play."

Manfred raised an eyebrow and huffed in annoyance. "They should have planned this beforehand- not now, almost days before Christmas."

"I know, Father- my guess is that, because we all only have a few lines each, they thought that they wouldn't necessarily need to plan all that much."

"I agree. Carry on," Manfred beckoned, with a curt wave of his hand.

"Anyhow, I was picked to be King Herod, for two reasons: one, I get the most amount of lines, and two, they all say it suits me."

Franziska grinned. "I does suit me, I should say, Father."

Manfred did not return Franziska's happiness, but replied all the same. "I agree."

Franziska's gaze turned to one of doubt as she thought of something, Manfred watching her with a hint of concern; she usually did not look like this and was always calm and collected. Manfred had taught her to behave that way.

"…Father?"

"Yes, Franziska?"

"I wondered…perhaps you could attend the play when it is staged here at school? I would like somebody sane in the audience to help me…you know…concentrate."

Manfred thought for a moment. A small smile came upon his face for but a moment as he finally replied.

"Of course. I'll see what I can do."


	21. 21st December- Christmas movies

Trucy loved Christmas movies. When she wasn't performing shows around December time (which was actually quite busy for her schedule, she must say) she loved to sit down with either her father or Apollo and watch a good old movie. Every time she would get a bowl of sweet and salted popcorn, drag Phoenix and/or Apollo to the sofa with her and turn on one of her many DVDs.

This day, however, was different- Apollo was watching with her, but she couldn't choose what movie to watch; what made it especially difficult for her was that she had already watched all the movies almost

three times over. Phoenix was out at the Borsht Bowl Club- probably drinking grape juice- on a job against a rather skilled opponent, Marvin (her pet mouse) offered her his help through a series of indecipherable squeaks, and Apollo…

_Wait, I haven't asked Polly yet!_

Trucy whirled around to face the sofa on which Apollo was sitting, only to find him fast asleep with his head tilted to one side. Sighing, Trucy turned her attention to how she was going to busy herself, as her indecisive attitude towards the DVD rack had her at her wits end. Thinking deeply, Trucy had nothing, and so she sat down next to Apollo- but as her eyes fell upon his pale and actually quite adorable face as he slept, Trucy had a brainstorm.

Taking out of her pocket a permanent marker with a rictal grin and trying not to burst out laughing, Trucy got to work…


	22. 22nd December- Ones Not With Us

Christmas was always a happy time for the local, run-of-the-mill, slightly aloof judge that all knew and loved. He always loved the joy and good cheer it brought to those around him, and the fact that it felt safer around random members of the public when out and about; he loved the fact that he could indulge in pleasures that he usually had not much time for, such as reading by the fireplace, baking, and listening to his favourite jazz channel on the radio; and, most of all, he loved the fact that he got to spend time with his younger Canadian brother, who he never actually saw that much. Together, the two would go for leisurely strolls in the park, discuss cases they had recently presided over (for they were both judges), drink a good old cup of cocoa at that relatively nice coffee shop on the corner, and do many other things.

This Christmas, however, the poor judge's brother had to cut his visit short, as he was to visit relatives back home and spend Christmas with them. He would have stayed for the whole of the month, that was certain, if not for one of his relatives suddenly procuring a disease which made sure that he wouldn't survive much of the year ahead. He was used to unexpected things cropping up at the most inconvenient and random times- his brother a little more so, as his brother had actually presided over a trial with involving cross-examining a _parrot_- but this was quite the shock. Leaving today, only a few days before Christmas, was most certainly not ideal.

Both now stood together side-by side at the train station, looking up at the electronic notice board which proclaimed that the specific train they needed was to arrive in five minutes. Looking at each other, the duo smiled warmly, and the Canadian brother was the first to speak up.

"I'll miss you, you know."

"As will I. It's a shame something like that came up at this time, isn't it?"

"Yes, I agree with you."

"It's quite a shame indeed."

"Indeed. Quite the shame."

Both smiled back at each other before the Canadian brother turned and noticed that his train had arrived.

"Oh, that's my cue. I'd best be off."

"Are you sure that you'll be alright? I mean, travelling alone is a little dangerous…"

A laugh. "I'll be fine. Anyway, I'll speak to you on the phone when I arrive to tell you about the journey."

"Let's hope you make it."

Laughter filled the space around them as, waving, they walked away to where they needed to be in the opposite direction.


	23. 23rd December- Hope

AHHHHHHHHHHHH GOT DUAL DESTINIES TODAY AS MY EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT :D :D :D  
Now I understand those who pair Apollo x Athena and Apollo x Juniper, but I _still _ don't understand Athena x Blackquill.  
Oh well. Enjoy this chapter! :D  
Oh, and before I go, I'm open for requests on characters for the big chapter on Christmas Day and the one on New Year's Eve. :)

* * *

"I hereby declare the defendant not guilty and cleared of all charges. That is all; court is now adjourned."

Those words uttered by the judge still replayed over and over in Winston Payne's mind as he trudged out of the courtroom and walked toward the bus stop he was to take the bus from, sighing. Again, he had been defeated by those _rookies, _those _amateurs_- not a day went by without his condescending smirk and equally condescending attitude taking the reins of his performance in the courtroom and steering it in completely the wrong direction. It was a shame and disgrace for Winston, and he hated it.

It was already getting quite dark outside where Winston was, and he stopped for a moment to look up at the sky. He didn't know for sure, but he swore that he could see the North Star from where he was standing- yes, he was certain of it. That bright light, shining through the darkness surrounding him and it, reminded Winston of himself; that's what he used to be. A star. The 'Rookie Killer', in fact.

It was horrible to think that he had fallen as low as to contradict his own moniker, that of which he bragged about so much- and it was even more horrible to bear because he knew that it wasn't his age that was affecting his overall performance, although he was getting older and worse for wear every year that passed in the same old way.

As he thought on this, Winston was also reminded of himself again, but not his failures; no, his hope. How else did he fail, then rise back up gradually only to be hit down again in the seemingly never-ending cycle of his losses? Day by day, he stuck it out through that courtroom, and- even when everyone there thought of him as an arrogant jerk and stuck with the defence, as always in his case- he survived as best he could. Even if he carried on receiving not guilty verdicts every trial he prosecuted, Winston just _knew _that one day, he'd get himself his hard-earned guilty verdict.

And in that trial, Winston was seriously going to beat the defence until his bluffing had backed him into an inescapable corner, just like many of Winston's attempts did for him.

With a new spring in his step, Winston daydreamed about that trial as he walked onward with a rictal grin, failing to notice that he had passed his bus stop ages ago.


	24. 24th December- Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve! :D  
I hope you've all had a great day today. :)  
Tomorrow's chapter is going to be BIG. And I mean, pretty big. I can't wait to write it! :D  
Have a really nice night, and I hope that you'll have a great Christmas tomorrow, too! :3

Oh, and on a random note, I watched the new Disney Pixar film 'Frozen' with my family today. It was pretty good, and Indina Menzel was great- as always. X3  
On another random note, DUAL DESTINIES IS AWESOME AND I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT AND AHHHHHH :D :D :D  
On one more note, about Dual Destinies, you know Athena's flashback when she's a little kid and all the blood and stuff?  
Am I the only one who was pretty creeped out the first time I saw that? :c

Again, have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day until I see you all in the next chapter. :)  
I have to head off to Midnight Mass at my church now, so I'll see you guys tomorrow! :D

* * *

Phoenix Wright walked into his all-too-familiar office, stopping just as he came through the door and looking around with a smile on his face. It was actually _not_ bland this month; Maya and Pearl had persuaded him to decorate the office in time for Christmas and, what do you know, it made Phoenix feel a little more cheerful as he began to work and try to get paperwork out of the way. He figured that it was probably the Christmas spirit the baubles and tinsel was expelling.

Suddenly, a light purple something bashed into him, wrapping its arms around him and giving him a hug.

"Nick! Nick! Nick! It's Christmas Eve!"

Phoenix looked down at the something that was hugging him to recognise it immediately to be Maya Fey, his assistant. Chuckling at Maya's excited attitude, Phoenix hugged her tightly back before letting go and sitting down on the office sofa.

"I know, I know. Wanna open a present early?"

Maya's eyes widened as she grinned widely. "You bet I do!"

"Go on, then."

Maya bounded over toward the Christmas tree and took out a present from Phoenix to her, immediately feeling it to guess what it was. It kind of felt like a big magazine, but Maya wasn't all that sure until she pulled back the wrapping paper and saw it in its full glory.

"Woah! It's…it's the Oh, Cult! 25th Anniversary Special Issue!" Maya gasped, flipping through the pages to catch a few hints of the juicy news on spirit mediums, cults and channelings everywhere. Turning back to Phoenix with her mouth still a small 'o' shape, Maya thought of something.

"Say, Nick, this issue is _humongous!_ There's around about….let's see…130 pages in there, including the front and back covers and the two posters of Francis and Eli." Maya began, a slight blush coming to her cheeks as she mentioned the duo on the posters. Phoenix gave her a bemused look.

"Who?"

Maya blushed again. "Oh, Francis and Eli are only _the best _male spirit mediums around. They've done so many channelings and never failed once…it's remarkable how they do it, isn't it, Nick? When those two work together, no request is too hard for them."

Phoenix still looked confused. "Hey, I thought there was only female spirit mediums."

"You were wrong, Nick! What do you think happens if someone requested somebody to channel a man?" Maya replied, with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Weren't you the one who told me- and Miles can confirm this- that when the police wanted someone to channel Gregory Edgeworth, it was your mother, a female spirit medium, who did so?"

"Yes, Nick," Maya began, with an exasperated tone, "but my mum was the only spirit medium around at the time with that level of calibre. I mean, the police wouldn't go to someone with low experience for a case like _that, _would they? Of course, they could have used a male spirit medium instead, but there was none around at the time- and anyway, all it would have improved was the look of the spirit as it was channelled. "

Phoenix was shocked as to how much detail Maya had put in with her explanation. "Touché. Anyway, now I know who Miss Fey over here has a crush on…" Phoenix added on, smirking. Maya went beet red and stared at Phoenix.

"That's not true!"

Phoenix laughed loudly. "Yes, it is, Maya. You can't hide anything from me, you know- after all, I _am_ Phoenix Wright."

Placing his hand inside his right pocket and fiddling with his faithful Magatama, Phoenix envisioned Psyche-Locks surrounding Maya- only a couple, perhaps- and him breaking them one by one to find her secret. Phoenix took his hand out of his pocket and smiled even more when he spotted Maya engrossed in the first few pages of the Oh, Cult! Magazine.

Suddenly, the office phone rang. Phoenix was about to rush over to get it when Maya jumped up with a quaint little laugh, dropping her present on the floor, and answered it, putting on a more serious tone of voice.

"You have reached the Wright and Co. Law Offices, and this is Maya Fey speaking."

A few moments passed before Maya beamed, her face the epitome of delight.

"Do you want me to pass you over to Nick? …Yeah, that'll be good! Have a great Christmas!"

Maya passed the phone over to a suspicious Phoenix, who immediately took the phone from her hand, not understanding the grin on her face.

"Phoenix Wright speaking."

"…Wri- uh, I mean _Phoenix_, it's me." the voice on the other end said, with a hint of awkwardness. Phoenix, when he realised who it was, immediately grinned widely and chuckled lightly.

"Oh, hey, Miles! Nice to hear from you for once. How are you?"

"I'm alright. You?"

At that moment, Pearl Fey entered the room and saw Maya's Oh, Cult! magazine. Before Pearl could react, Phoenix moved the phone out the way and told Pearl she could open one of her presents, Pearl bursting into delighted cheers and opening a small box with Maya chattering along next to her.

"I'm OK. Maya and Pearl have opened a present early, so they're occupied for the moment."

Miles laughed heartily. "That's good to hear. Anyway, um…this is a little hard to ask- because I'm not used to this kind of thing- but, uh, would you, Maya and Pearl like to have Christmas dinner with me, Franziska, Adrian and everyone else tomorrow?"

Phoenix grinned once more, and Miles swore he could almost feel it from his end of the phone.

"Of course I would, Miles! There's nothing else we'd rather do on Christmas than spend it with you and

everyone else. So," Phoenix added, adopting a more calmer tone, "what are the details?"

"Well, for a start, I know that we definitely have- hang on a second-" Miles added, and Phoenix could hear Miles having a brief conversation with some other people before he came back, "you, Maya, Pearl, Gumshoe, Franziska, Adrian, me (of course), Maggey, Larry, Mr. Grossberg, Lana, Ema, Kay-"

"Who?"

"Oh, Kay Faraday. She's my assistant, and she's also the second Great Thief Yatagarasu. She's quite feisty and very excitable. I think Maya and her would be good friends."

"Oh, OK. …Wait…_what?_"

Edgeworth sounded extremely confused. "Huh?"

"Let me get this straight. Miles Edgeworth, esteemed prosecutor who is specifically known for his intelligence, logical ability and _grudge against criminals_ has an assistant who just so happens to be a _famous thief_?"

Miles paused for a moment before answering. "Yes…yes, that's right."

Unable to hold it in anymore, Phoenix burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, almost keeling over.

"What is it, Phoenix? What do you find so hilarious about what I just said? I can't find anything- and that's saying something, because I'm Miles Edgeworth-"

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, you're so funny, Miles…"

"I wasn't _intending_ to be, you know-"

"Pfft….hahahahahahahaha!"

Miles sighed. "Yes, anyhow, she's my assistant. Then we have Shi-Long Lang from Interpol-"

"Who's he?"

"I worked with him a couple of times. He's over here to handle some pretty serious Interpol business, and he's flying to Germany in a couple of days to do more Interpol work. After that, he's travelling to Cohdopia and then finally back to Zheng-Fa to visit home before returning here again. I managed to talk him into coming for dinner- because he has a grudge against all prosecutors and _despises _working with me- only because, after a mass of recent cases we've investigated and solved together, we've grown a little closer- in an entirely platonic way, of course."

Phoenix smirked. "The way you're going on about him suggests otherwise…hint hint, nudge, nudge…"

"Oh, shut up, Phoenix. After Lang, we only have Ron and Desiree DeLite left, and that's all the guests."

"So, then, there's…._16 people _coming?! How are you going to fit all those people into your- _Ohhhh. _I see…you have an absolute mansion back there, don't you?"

"It's not really a _mansion_, per se, but it's close to a _small_ mansion in size."

"That's still a mansion. No matter the size, it's still a mansion. Don't hate on mansions!"

"I never did!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you didn't! Wait…"

"Anyway," Miles went on, "it officially starts at 12:20 tomorrow, but getting there at 12 would be the best time to arrive as you can grab your seats early and also converse with all the other early guests."

"Nice idea! I'm looking forward to it."

Phoenix swore he heard a relieved sigh as Miles spoke. "That's pretty good. Anyway, have a nice Christmas Eve, and I'll see you then."

"Bye, Miles!"

"Bye, Phoenix."

As Miles hung up, Phoenix smiled warmly as he remembered his best friend and wondered just what Miles would be doing at the moment. His pleasurable reminiscence over, Phoenix went down and joined Maya and Pearl by the Christmas tree, laughing.


	25. 25 December- Christmas Day

Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a great day yesterday (or the day before yesterday, if you live in Finland ;D).  
Speaking of _yesterday_, I came to log on after I had finish watching the Doctor Who Christmas special and finished off this chapter when:  
"ERROR 503: SERVER UNAVAILABLE"  
So, I'm very sorry about that. :(  
However, this chapter is _much, much, much_ longer than any of the others, so I hope that makes up for it. :)  
I hope you recieved nice presents, eat lots of food (and mince pies, if you like them :3), had lots of fun and were very happy! :D

OK, so without further ado, I present (hahaha, _present_- you know, like a Christmas _present_?...oh, unintentional puns...they're so bad, they're good) to you the Christmas chapter of A Law-some Christmas!

* * *

It was six o' clock in the morning when Phoenix Wright dragged himself out of bed, wearily put a creased blue t-shirt and some trousers on, and went into the kitchen/living room area of his apartment to make himself a coffee. Deciding that he'd need all the caffeine he could get his hands on- it _was _six in the morning- Phoenix made himself a black coffee with no sugar and a dash of milk, letting it cool for but a minute before downing the lot. It was hotter than he expected, actually, and he reached for the remaining milk to cool his throat down before it burned.

_Ah…that's better. _

Phoenix, after relaxing on the sofa for five minutes in silence to set his head straight, turned on the TV and realised that a half-baked comedy show was on. After a little while of thinking, Phoenix forgot why he had woken up earlier today- 3 hours earlier, in fact. His alarm, after a quick inspection, had been unplugged at the wall, and Phoenix sheepishly remembered that one day he had done so because he wanted to go back to sleep. It couldn't be a person waking him up- nobody lived with him, he wasn't married or in a relationship, and his assistants, Maya and Pearl, usually stayed in Maya's apartment but, because today was Christmas Day, they were sleeping over at the office in their camping bags.

_Wait…_

_That's it!_

Having now remembered why he woke up early today (a choice which he truly regretted), Phoenix hurriedly got his coat on and rushed out of the door.

* * *

Miles Edgeworth couldn't sleep.

It was many a day when he couldn't sleep due to terrible nightmares, but this one had been one of the worst he'd ever had. It had been about an hour ago now when Miles had found himself in that elevator again, with that same earthquake preventing them from reaching where they wanted to go and preventing the people in the elevator from much oxygen, causing a bailiff by the name of Yanni Yogi and Miles' father Gregory to start fighting…

_Stop it, Miles. Only thinking about it will make it worse._

Miles had watched as his father and the bailiff fought and argued, getting more aggressive by the second until the bailiff decided enough was enough and grasped onto Gregory's neck, almost attempting to strangle him

_Don't think about it, don't think about it…_

Miles- his nine-year-old self- had looked around desperately for something to distract the bailiff, something to stop the two in front of him from possibly risking their lives in a fight. As his father's hands reached up in defence Miles grabbed something as it slid across the floor towards him and threw it at the bailiff and his father, the object in question letting off a loud bang that sounded remarkably like a gunshot…

_No…please, no_…

All at once there was a scream- a scream so piercing and terrible that it terrified Miles and sent more than a few chills down his spine. It wasn't a scream of terror, though, but it was a scream of horrible pain, pain that led Miles to believe that surely that person would be dead from that amount- it sounded as if they had been stabbed or shot. Before Miles could realise that the object he had thrown was what had caused the scream, his eyes closed as he slipped in and out of consciousness; it seemed that the oxygen deprivation was finally taking its toll on the party in the elevator.

The last he ever saw of his father was Gregory in a completely unconscious state, his eyes shut tightly closed. He never saw what happened after that; in reality, he had fallen unconscious by then, and in his nightmares he always woke up after the scream, even though he already knew what _did _happen next.

…_No…._

Miles sat up in his bed, wiping his misty eyes with the back of his sleeve and deciding to go have breakfast with a sigh. Even at six in the morning- an extremely early time for him, even though he pulled an all-nighter now and then to get important work completed- Miles knew that he couldn't go back to sleep. He just couldn't.

Getting out of bed and stretching his arms out in front of him, Miles put on his crimson dressing gown over his pyjamas and made his way downstairs.

* * *

When Phoenix arrived at his office, two purple somebodies crashed into him, almost knocking him over. Maya and Pearl, clad in their spirit medium attire, hugged Phoenix tightly and literally dragged him toward the Christmas tree.

"Nick, can we open our presents now?"

"Mr. Nick, we've been waiting for an hour already…can we open the presents?"

"Come on, come on, Nick!"

Phoenix laughed. "Sure. You two knock yourselves out."

Pearl and Maya squealed in delight and started to rapidly open their presents, putting the odd one aside and leaving those ones alone. Maya received mainly Steel Samurai merchandise, such as the latest annual and the newest season DVDs, and Pearl received the next few books of a series she was reading and a copy of the Oh, Cult! 25th Anniversary Special Edition, the same as Maya's one. When the Wright and Co. Law Offices had been entirely dominated by a sea of wrapping paper and the girls had let out all their excitement and appreciation, Pearl handed over the untouched pile of six little presents to Phoenix, who took them with a bemused look.

"Are these…for me?" Phoenix asked, looking awestruck. Maya stared at him with a funny look on her face, probably wondering why on earth he needed to ask that question in the first place.

"What else would they be for, Nick? Me and Pearl bought one each for you, and the rest were from the rest of our friends! You know, like Mr. Edgeworth and Miss von Karma."

Phoenix smiled. "It was nice of you to get them for me. Thanks, guys."

Phoenix found himself being enveloped in spirit medium as he was hugged tightly once more.

"It's OK, Mr. Nick!"

"Yeah, Nick, you don't have to thank us! You're family."

Phoenix grinned as he picked up the first present, giving it a small shake. It was a tiny little box, about the size of the palm of Pearl's hand, and upon inspection- that is, shaking it- it appeared to have liquid inside of it.

"So, who's this from?"

"That one's from Iris, Nick!"

"…Iris? Like, Iris Fey? Your cousin?"

"Yep!"

Phoenix was shocked. "Wow…I didn't think she'd remember me, after all this time."

Maya gave Phoenix a wink. "When I went to visit her the other day, she did go on about you quite a lot, blushed when I mentioned you, and gave me this to give to you. Oh, and she also said that you were cute…"

Phoenix went bright red. "Maya, that's enough. She would never say something like _that_…about me. Or do any of those things. Or, you know, blush at the mere mention of my-"

Maya nudged Phoenix with her shoulder, chanting playfully: "Nick's in love, Nick's in love, Nick's- in- looo-ooove!"

"N-no, I'm not! Men naturally act like this when a good-looking girl calls them cute-"

"HOLD IT!" Maya yelled, imitating one of Phoenix's courtroom phrases, "You just called her good-looking, Nick, and don't you _dare _deny it."

"I deny it."

"Nick, you're so easy to read! You almost wear your heart on your sleeve, you're that obvious. Come on, Nick, you can't lie to me- after all, I _am_ Maya Fey!" Maya flashed a grin at no-one in particular.

"OK, maybe I said she was good-looking, but does that really prove anything? Take Franziska for example: she always looks wonderful, but I haven't fallen for her or anything."

Maya suddenly burst into peals of laughter, to Phoenix's annoyance.

"What is it, Maya?"

"Sorry, Nick, it's just that…imagining you and Miss von Karma…hahahahaha!"

Maya's laughter and Phoenix's sighs of exasperation were silenced by a quick slap to the cheek from Pearl, who had had enough with their conversation.

"Mr. Nick! Mystic Maya! Don't you understand? You're meant for _each other! _Cupid doesn't care if a different girl calls you cute, Mr. Nick, 'cause he's already hit Mystic Maya with his bow and arrow! You see?"

Both Maya and Phoenix were unable to speak, rubbing their cheeks in pain and their mouths clear 'o' shapes. Pearl placed her hands on her hips in defiance and stood in front of the two, smirking in schadenfreude.

"There! Now, Mr. Nick, you need to open that present."

Phoenix snapped out of his train of thought and nodded. "R-right, Pearls."

Pearl laughed loudly as Phoenix opened the present to find a small box of men's perfume, a ten-pound note and a small, handmade friendship bracelet. As well as this, there was a small note on a post-it note attached to the inside of the box. It read, in partially smudged handwriting,

_Dear Feenie,_

_I hope you don't mind me calling you that. Here's your Christmas present, and I hope you like it!_

_You, Maya and Pearl should come visit soon. It's boring here without anyone to talk to- of course, I could talk to Bikini, but she's been busy with reservations for the Ultra Courses here at Hazakura recently.  
I miss you, Feenie. I hope what my sister did hasn't hurt you, Maya and Pearl too much.  
Please stay safe and warm, especially in this cold winter season!_

_Have a lovely Christmas,_

_Iris xxx_

After Iris's present had been opened, the trio went through the other presents. Phoenix received a portable chess set, a new tie, $38 and a few pictures of their childhood days together from Edgeworth (the latter gifts meant to be symbolic of Phoenix always being there for Miles throughout his life, and that was explained further in the note that Edgeworth included), a bottle of grape juice from Larry (which he promised to try some time), a DVD box set of Phoenix's favourite TV show series and an envelope with something hard in it which read, 'Maya, it's the card. Only let him open this when you want him to.' from Franziska. Phoenix also received a storybook about Phoenix being transported into Steel Samurai Land in something called the DISTAR- a magical mail box that was bigger on the inside- that Pearl had made herself, and a bottle of toilet-cleaning bleach (which Pearl found hilarious) from Maya.

Sighing at the latter present he had received, Phoenix checked the time: 10:55. Realising that they only had an hour and twenty-five minutes left until the gargantuan Christmas dinner over at Edgeworth's, Phoenix spoke to Maya and Pearl and decided on a plan: Maya and Pearl would return to Maya's apartment and get ready, and Phoenix would always get ready at his apartment, after which they would all return to the office. Nodding in agreement, the group disbanded with bright smiles on their faces, each envisioning the fun they'd have later on.

* * *

When Phoenix, Maya and Pearl arrived at Edgeworth's house via a local taxi service, Phoenix's eyes widened at the mere sight of it. It was massive; it seemed big enough for more than ten people to live there and still have a spare room. A far cry from Phoenix's kind-of homely apartment, Edgeworth's house was magnificent in its own right.

"Mr. Edgeworth owns a mansion? Nice!"

Phoenix frowned and crossed his arms. "And yet he insists that it's only 'close to a _small _mansion in size'. What a load of rubbish!"

Maya tutted and wagged her finger at Phoenix. "Now, now, Nick. I know you're jealous, but it won't do to speak ill of other's perceptions of their places of residence…"

"I am _not _jealous!"

Maya chuckled. "And you think that attitude convinces me of that fact?"

"I…I…Hmph."

Pearl rang the doorbell and immediately it opened to the sight of Miles Edgeworth in front of them and a gathering of people behind him. Miles smiled warmly at them, Phoenix grinning back.

"Hello, Maya. Hello, Pearl. Hello, Phoenix."

Before Miles could react, Phoenix had his arms around him and was giving him a hug. Miles liked it, and so hugged back until Phoenix let go.

"Nice to see you again, Miles. I trust you've read the novel I gave you early this month?"

Miles nodded before smirking pretentiously. "Twice."

Maya did a spit-take. "_Twice?!_"

"Yes. I really did like it, you know."

"Thanks! I thought you would. So, how's this thing gonna work?"

"Well," began Miles, gesturing to the people behind him, "there's a few people here already, so you can go make some new acquaintances for twenty minutes until it's time for dinner."

"Great! Thanks, Miles."

Miles beamed, to Phoenix's surprise. "Always a pleasure."

All of a sudden, a girl with medium-long black hair held up by a peculiar key-shaped hair clip, a colourful outfit with a golden three-legged raven brooch, navy blue gloves and a grin plastered on her pale face rushed up to the gang and rested her elbow on Miles' shoulder.

"Ow! Kay, that hur-"

"So, who are these people, Mr. Edgeworth? You gave Mr. Toilet Brush over there a hug, and you _never _give hugs out. Especially not to me or Gummy."

Kay stuck her bottom lip out, crossed her arms and turned away from him. "Do you love them better than me, Mr. Edgeworth? Do you? If you do, I'll tell Agent Lang you watch the Steel Samurai…"

Kay smirked as she watched Miles' face turn from sheet white back to its usual colour to sheet white again, convinced that she was witness to Miles Edgeworth having an intense mental battle between his thoughts and his feelings. Kay suddenly thrust her hand forward and hit him heartily on the back, the force almost winding him.

"Oof! That…really…hurt-"

"I was only joking, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"...I don't like jokes."

Phoenix laughed. "Back to normal, are we, Miles?"

Miles sighed. "Phoenix, Maya, Pearl- this is Kay Faraday-"

"The second Great Thief Yatagarasu! I'm really awesome, guys," Kay began, addressing Maya and Pearl, "so regardless of what Mr. Grumpy Pants says-"

Maya and Pearl laughed as Miles sighed. "Kay, that's enough…"

Kay giggled. "Sorry, _Mr. Grump_- Mr. Edgeworth! Say, do you want to come with me, you two? We'll have loads of fun!"

Maya nodded excitedly. "Yes, please! Nick, can we?"

"Sure, Maya."

"Yay!" Kay and Maya shouted in unison, giving each other a high-five and rushing off together. Phoenix noticed that Pearl was still next to him and tried shouting for Maya and Kay to come back, but Pearl shook her head.

"Mr. Nick, I don't want to go."

Phoenix looked concerned. "Why? Are you feeling unwell, or sad, or-"

"No, no, not at all," Pearl butted in, smiling, "there's just someone else I want to talk to."

Phoenix and Miles watched Pearl closely as she made her way over to the left corner of the hall, sitting down on a small bench next to a tall, intimidating man that almost resembled a wolf by name and by nature. Miles started to laugh, although Phoenix didn't understand why until the man started to speak.

"Hello there, Mr. Wolf-man. What's your name?"

The man turned around in surprise and raised an eyebrow when he saw Pearl looking hopefully up at him. It seemed like he wanted to say something for a moment, but he hesistated and turned back around to Pearl's evident dismay. She was about to make her way back to Phoenix- but the man noticed this and put a firm hand onto her shoulder.

"My name is Shi-Long Lang. What's your name, friend?"

Pearl turned on her heel to spot Lang smiling warmly at her, and in less than five minutes they were having a fully-blown conversation. Pearl, Phoenix noticed, was acting much more mature than normal- but the most surprising and funny thing about the whole affair was the look of complete and utter shock on Miles' face.

"Who knew…Shi-Long Lang, conversing better than I did with him at any point in our work together with an _eight-year-old_…remarkable…" Miles muttered to himself. Phoenix was about to point this out to Miles- but before he could do so it was 12:20, the appointed tike for dinner to start. Edgeworth cleared his throat and told everyone, in an abnormally loud voice, to make their way to the dining room. As the guests started to make their way into the room next door, Phoenix caught Miles rubbing his throat and laughed.

"Miles, are you OK? Your throat must hurt after all that."

"It's nothing compared to when you yell at me from across the courtroom. If you ever have a protégé sometime, Phoenix, I bet they'll shout even louder than you do."

Both looked at each other and laughed before walking into the dining room together, smiling.

* * *

When everyone had been seated, Phoenix turned to Edgeworth (as Maya was sitting with Kay and Pearl with Lang) and asked if he could raise a toast. Edgeworth nodded, and so tapped his knife on his wine glass to get everyone's attention, which proved to be fruitful. Phoenix stood up, not realising that his legs were shaking a little bit.

"Before we start, I'd just like to raise a toast to three people today; our hosts for this dinner. Out of their own accord they invited us to dinner for absolutely nothing and have offered us a seat, food, a glass of wine-"

"Or punch!" Kay and Maya piped up, causing everyone to laugh. Phoenix nodded and laughed along with them.

"Yes, yes, or punch. Nevertheless, Miles Edgeworth, Franziska von Karma and Adrian Andrews have done very well at organising this and being great friends. And so," Phoenix finished, picking up his glass and raising it up high, "to our hosts!"

"To our hosts!" the other guests chorused, clapping as Phoenix sat down and grinned widely, the chatter and hubbub rising once more.

"You know, Miles, I've always wanted to do that."

"I can imagine," Miles laughed, picturing Phoenix when he was but a small child; shy at first but with goals he vowed to aspire to and eventually reach. The nightmares from the morning came to mind, and Miles was overcome with the urge to tell his best friend about them.

"Phoenix…?"

Phoenix's face was the epitome of concern. "What is it, Miles?"

Miles' fists clenched as he tried his best to keep himself together. He couldn't fall apart; not here, not now.

"It's the nightmares…they've become worse and worse. And, you know…_that day _is only 3 days away from now."

"It's OK, Miles," Phoenix replied, putting a comforting hand on Miles' shoulder, "It'll be OK. I know it will be hard for you, and if you ever need help you can _always _talk to me- but you can make it through, alright? You're one of the bravest people I've ever met, Miles- try not to let it hurt you again, OK?"

"I'll try, but-"

"No buts. You _can_ do it. You're Miles Edgeworth!"

Miles laughed weakly. "I suppose I am, aren't I?"

"Yes. You are. You're not a weak person, you're not a fool, you're not mean, strict and calculating. You just had the most terrible past- but what's in the past is in the past. You can get through it, right?"

"…Yes, I suppose so."

Phoenix smiled. "Good. Now, let's get ready to-"

"May I just say something?"

A lady that looked to be in her mid-twenties stood in front of the door to the left of the congregation, tossing her long, dark brown hair back with a flick of her hand. She wore a turquoise dress that seemed to fit quite tight on her, a light touch of makeup, a small black handbag, and a piercing look that could scare even the most hardy of people as she scanned the guests. Edgeworth, all of a sudden, spotted something, and nudged Phoenix to get him to look to the right. On the right side of the table, Franziska von Karma looked shell-shocked as she stood up, her legs shaking violently and feeling as if they were to give way.

"…Kirsten?"

Kirsten sauntered across the room, glancing at Edgeworth and Adrian as she passed them and winking. The two winked back, and Phoenix was confused as to what they meant.

"Hey, Miles, why was she-"

"Shhhh, Phoenix. Watch." Miles urged, pointing back at the now still Kirsten standing in front of Franziska.

"Kirsten…it is you…isn't it?" Franziska asked in barely more than a whisper, but everyone's attention was now on her and Kirsten, so they heard her clearly. Kirsten curtseyed politely and then broke into a grin, standing back upright and looking Franziska right in the eyes.

"What kind of von Karma would I be if I forgot my own sister?"

Phoenix gasped, maybe a little too loudly. Covering his mouth with his hands, he waited for punishment for either of the two sisters- but none came. Instead, he nervously looked back at the two and saw Franziska's lip trembling and a tear coarse down her pale cheek. Phoenix nearly let out another gasp of surprise, but managed to hold it in successfully.

Before he knew it, the two sisters embraced each other in a hug, tightly clasping onto the other and never wanting to let go. Cries of 'Awwwwwww…' came up from the onlookers as Franziska began to cry quietly onto Kirsten's shoulder. When she had regained her composure, she wiped her eyes and began to speak.

"But you…you left with Mother, all those years ago… How did you know I was…?"

Kirsten smiled warmly at Franziska. "I was here on a business trip with the company I work for, and two most wonderful people figured out that I was your sister. They told me you were here."

Franziska laughed. "I'll talk to them about that later."

Edgeworth paled, and Phoenix chuckled quietly. That was quite the unpredictable scenario Franziska had initiated, Phoenix thought- it could mean both good and bad for Edgeworth and Adrian.

"Thanks for coming, Kirsten."

"No problem." Kirsten stated, suddenly turning around to face the party.

"I'm sorry about how long that took. Now, I was going to ask if I could stay for dinner, with your permission?"

Everyone clapped, and Kirsten- beaming- sat down, and the talk resumed as normal; as if nothing had ever happened and possibly the most intimidating person in the room had just broken down in tears.

* * *

When they got around to it- needless to say, it was later than expected- the actual Christmas dinner was wonderful. The room was filled with tantalising smells and aromas of various different components of a Christmas dinner: turkey, gammon, potatoes, gravy and many other things. Joy and compassion was shared between all- even people who usually despised each other. Crackers were pulled, bad puns were cracked, plates were licked clean (in a metaphorical sense), glasses were clinked, toasts were raised, hugs were given and Christmas spirit was most certainly spread around the congregation.

When everything was finished, the guests left, taking with them a small, random present that Miles, Franziska or Adrian had bought or, in some special cases, made. Phoenix waited for his two assistants, and soon enough a worn-out, full to the brim with food Maya walked slowly up to him.

"The amazing Maya Fey, who has _four whole stomachs_- one each for steak, burgers, sweets and everything else- is _full?!" _Phoenix gasped in mock surprise.  
"This is _terrible! _The apocalypse has _**BEGUN**_!"

Maya and Phoenix burst into laughter and, as the laughter dwindled into nothing, they spotted Pearl saying a sad farewell to her new best friend.

"Do you have to go to Germany in a few days? Is it true?"

Lang crouched down and put his hands on Pearl's shoulders.

"Yes, little Pearl, but I won't forget what you've taught me today."

Pearl looked unconvinced. "Promise, Mr. Lang?"

Lang smiled and held out his hand, which Pearl gladly took. "I promise, on my honour as an Interpol agent, that I won't forget this very special girl."

"She's very special indeed," Miles said, as he turned to Phoenix beside him, "as she's the only one who can get through to Shi-Long Lang like that. I've never seen him that…caring before."

"I guess not, Miles," Phoenix replied, now experiencing the same shock that Miles was.

Pearl made her way over, waving a goodbye to Lang as he waved back at her. When everyone was gathered together, Miles presented Pearl and Maya with a small box.

"Open it, if you want."

Pearl and Maya opened the boxes to find two chess pieces. These chess pieces were very peculiar; one was dark purple and held what appeared to be a spear that seemed familiar to Phoenix and Maya, and the other was light purple, smaller than the dark purple one, and appeared to be holding what appeared to be a Magatama.

"Wow…thanks, Mr. Edgeworth!"

Miles smiled at Maya, and handed Phoenix a piece of his own. Phoenix's piece was blue and had spiky hair, but there was something different this time around. Before, a few years ago, Phoenix's chess doppelganger was a pawn and had been surrounded by red knights which had swords with sharp 'edges'. Now, Phoenix realised, his was a knight.

"I felt that the other chess you was inaccurate, so I changed him. Are you alright with that?"

Phoenix looked at Miles with a warm smile that lit up his face and spirits.

"The mere thing that you thought about giving me something is all I needed."

* * *

When Phoenix fell into bed at eight o' clock, he was exhausted- and so, with no objection whatsoever, let himself fall into a deep sleep.

All was well.


	26. 26th December- Boxing Day

Phoenix Wright was _exhausted. _

After all, it had been Christmas Day yesterday, and he had eaten more food than he was physically able to- well, _used _to be physically able to- at the gigantic dinner party Edgeworth had hosted. Maya and Pearl were probably sound asleep in their beds, Phoenix reckoned- but here he was, wide awake at around 2 o' clock in the morning. After not being able to sleep, he had lay awake for around an hour- but then, after he had fallen asleep again, he had a nightmare and had been awake since then.

_It's just my bad luck, I suppose._

Phoenix chuckled quietly as he dragged himself wearily from his bed to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it with vigour, soothing his dry and relatively sore throat. Sitting down, he thought about the previous night's events- the food, the unfamiliar people whom he tried to befriend, the mysterious appearance of Franziska's older sister and so on. It had all been a whirlwind of weird and wonderful events, but it had been really nice to see Edgeworth and everyone else again, at least.

Phoenix twiddled his thumbs for but a moment before getting bored of his attempt to stay entertained. Reluctantly, he turned on his TV to the sight of a breaking news report that peaked his interest- at least, as soon as the words 'recent homicide' flashed up on the screen.

"Breaking news! A man by the name of Michael Rosington was found dead in his drawing room at 12:26 this morning. A suspect has been apprehended; one Marie Livena, 23. Post-mortem examinations have shown Mr. Rosington to have been poisoned with atroquinine via a glass of port wine he had been drinking at the time. It is thought that Mr. Rosington, a relatively wealthy man, was administered the deadly poison through his wine at a party he held at the time. Witnesses have yet to come forward and give testimony to the killing of Mr. Michael Rosington; but, a message to the public- if you think you may know something about the murder or were in attendance at Mr. Rosington's party, please contact the police department at…"

Phoenix shuddered as he realised that this murder only took place around two hours ago, but that feeling was replaced with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he walked back to his bedroom and got back into bed, slowly falling asleep.

_I have a feeling I know what's going to happen next…_

At exactly 6:30, only around four hours after the news report was broadcast, Phoenix got a phone call. Reaching over lazily to pick it up, he turned on speakerphone and lay back, his mind buzzing.

"Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Nick, Nick, hi!" his trusty assistant exclaimed, Phoenix smiling at her excited greeting.

"Hey, Maya. What's up at this time of the morning?"

"You'll _never _guess what!"

"What?"

"We've got a client, Nick! Me and Pearly are at the office now, so it'd be good if you could come right away. Please? We really need to solve this case, Nick!"

The sinking feeling returned as he replied. "Sure, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Nick! I'm gonna hang up now."

"Oh, OK. See you soon, Maya."

"See you, Nick!

As the phone let out a little beep to show that Maya had hung up, Phoenix sighed and got out of bed.

_I knew it…_


	27. 27th December- Apprehension

Hey! This chapter's a little introduction, if that, to tomorrow's chapter... *sniff*  
Oh, and on a random note, I finished Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy today. :')  
It's a wonderful series, and if you haven't played it before, I fully reccomend it to you.  
After all, why would there be a Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright coming out next year if it wasn't all that good? :3

* * *

Again, Miles Edgeworth couldn't sleep.

After all, tomorrow…tomorrow was a day he couldn't stand and, frankly, found hard to get through.

Tomorrow was the day when his father was murdered in front of his very eyes, the day which he had blamed himself for, and the day when he had found out the truth about his father's murder.

Tomorrow was a particularly horrid day for Miles Edgeworth, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. What he didn't understand was why it was so close to Christmas. While everyone else was still celebrating the Christmas- well, technically, the _post-_Christmas- season, all his joyous thoughts and feelings came to a halt on December the 28th- the day of the DL-6 incident.

It was frightening how close it was; only mere hours away. It only seemed weeks since the hot and exhausting season of summer, and Miles just didn't get how fast tomorrow seemed to be approaching.

Turning on the radio that stood solemnly beside him on his bedside table, Miles' eyes widened as the ending lyrics of a vaguely familiar song came on.

_Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow-  
You're only a day away!_

Miles sighed as he lay back on his pillow, turning the radio off.

_Yes_, Miles thought, a feeling of despair engulfing him, _you are._


	28. 28th December- The DL-6 Incident

_We had been trapped in there for almost six hours now, and the bailiff had become restless._

_He started to fight with my father, telling him to stop stealing his oxygen._

_I suddenly found a pistol at my feet and threw it at the bailiff, shouting at him to leave my father alone._

_A gunshot rang out, then a scream- and the darkness engulfed us._

_That's when my father breathed his last…_

* * *

Miles Edgeworth woke up from his nightmare per usual, sweat streaming down his face, eyes wide open and his vision blurry from his misty eyes. Wiping and adjusting his eyes to the darkness, he turned over and realised, with a start, that not only was it 7 in the morning- it was _that day_.

The day when everything fell apart for him, the day on which, years and years ago, the nightmare haunting him night by night had been a reality.

On December 28th, 2001, Miles had stepped into an elevator with his father and a young upstart of a bailiff named Yanni Yogi after one of his father's trials against Manfred von Karma. The trio had been perfectly fine until a terrible earthquake rendered the damned metal box broken and trapped on an unknown floor. Terrified, Miles, his father and the bailiff were forced to stay in the elevator for over six hours, praying that they'd manage to get out of their temporary prison. Some time later, the bailiff and Miles's father had started to argue, shouting at each other for a period of time before the bailiff had had enough.

"Stop stealing my aaaaaaair!" the bailiff yelled, their fight now becoming more physical. Desperate for the two to stop before either got hurt and becoming more panicked by the second as their oxygen started to gradually run out, Miles reached for the nearest thing he could find- in this case, a pistol that had fallen out of Yogi's holster- and threw it at the two to try and break them up.

"Stop it!"

A shot rang out and, before Miles could do anything, a scream that he would never forget in his life sounded out through the elevator. It was not a scream of mortal terror, although it did have a hint of fear in it, but one of great pain- a pain Miles could not comprehend. Miles, his father and Yogi slowly fell unconscious at that point due to oxygen deprivation, but never in his life would Miles forget that scream- even fifteen years after that day.

Only a few years ago did Miles find out the truth behind what happened after that scream. The scream was from none other than Manfred von Karma, the man whose perfect record had been smashed to pieces by Miles' father. A few moments later the elevator doors opened, leaving Manfred alone in front of the three unconscious people. A plan hatched inside his mind- kill Gregory Edgeworth, take his son in for both an alibi and to nurture the von Karma name, and to, later on, convince the bailiff to kill Robert Hammond and frame Miles for his murder. It was the perfect crime- or so he thought.

Miles was still unconscious at the time, but Manfred picked up the gun, pointed it at Gregory's heart, and pulled the trigger- his plan only just beginning.

* * *

A knock sounded on Miles Edgeworth's office door, then another, and then one more in quick succession. Miles looked from his desk towards the door, and, his head down, spoke to the person on the other side of the door.

"Come in. It's open…"

Slowly, the mahogany door opened to reveal one Maya Fey walking in, her hands full of DVDs with extremely gaudy and colourful covers and backings. Spotting Miles at his desk, she smiled weakly, walked up to his desk and placed the DVDs there- Miles immediately realising that they were the exact DVDs of Season 8-10 of the _Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo._

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth. I just thought that, with today being…well, you know, maybe you could enjoy these to take your mind off things. I mean, it must still be hard for you…even now, when it's all finished. I kind of know how you feel," Maya said, suddenly looking downcast, "what with my mother and all…"

Maya turned away and began to leave Miles' office. "Have a nice time, Mr. Edgewo-"

"Maya, wait."

Maya turned around, a little shocked. "Hm?"

"Thank you for this. I…I really appreciate it."

Miles couldn't help smiling as Maya's trademark grin returned, brightening up her face.

"No problem!"


	29. 29th December- An Empty Feeling

It was after a long, dull afternoon that Franziska von Karma pondered upon something, a matter which had been bothering her for the past few days. Yes, Christmas had been wonderful, but there was this strange feeling that had come after the big celebration- a feeling she just couldn't explain. It had been only four days after the big day, and yet she felt almost empty and out of enthusiasm.

After she had taken the time to speak to her little brother Miles concerning yesterday's events, Franziska made herself a perfect cup of tea (a fragrant Earl Grey blend) and sat down, still thinking about that feeling she had acquired. Suddenly, she didn't want to do much, and felt bored when she wasn't doing something. At least she still had the Christmas tree, she thought gladly, to keep her spirits up.

Taking another sip of her tea with a satisfied look on her face, Franziska's train of thought was interrupted by the entrance of her good friend, Adrian Andrews. Adrian spotted Franziska sitting down and, Franziska noticed, that adorable grin of hers lit up her face as she motioned for Franziska to move up and sat down next to her.

"Hello, Franziska! How are you?"

Franziska smiled back at her friend. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you. I'm just stuck on something…"

"What could that be?"

Sighing, Franziska continued to talk. "I don't know, but I just feel…empty. If you know what I mean. I've had this feeling for a few days, and…_what?_" Franziska asked; Adrian had begun to chuckle lightly at her statement.

"Well, I'm feeling like that too, but the best way to describe it…hmmm, I don't know. It's a little like a hangover, I suppose- you go and have fun on Christmas and then, in the days following, feel tired, bored, irritable and, as you said, empty."

Franziska paused for a moment and then nodded, smiling. "Yes, I suppose it's like that."


	30. 30th December- Conversations

Phoenix Wright, still busy with work on a case he had, unfortunately, been given on Boxing Day, got a phone call at 3 in the evening from a phone number he didn't recognise. Looking at his calendar, he realised, with a shock, that it was the 30th of December. He wondered how the days had gone so fast, and what a fast year it had been, before picking up the phone.

"Phoenix Wright speaking." Phoenix stated, grinning when he heard the voice on the other end.

"Ah, hello, Phoenix."

"Hi, Miles! How are things with you?"

"Good, good. I'm just watching some Steel Samurai movies that Miss Fey kindly gave me yesterday-" Phoenix, at this, glanced over at Maya and smiled warmly as he watched her talk enthusiastically to her cousin Pearl, "-and doing some more paperwork. What about you?"

Phoenix grimaced as he remembered his own burden. "I got a new client, Miles."

"Oh, that's great! How is the case going?"

"Well, uh…I got the case on Boxing Day…"

Miles laughed softly. "Ouch. You must have been exhausted."

"Tell me about it…"

Miles cleared his throat. "Anyway, I changed my number to this one."

"Why? Oh, let me guess…Oldbag."

"Yes. Oldbag."

"Hey, Miles," Phoenix began, "this year's gone by fast!"

"It has. It feels like summer was only yesterday."

"Got any New Year's resolutions?" Miles could almost feel the force of his friend's grin on the other end of the line.

"Well, uh…to get acquainted with more of my colleagues, and to watch all the Steel Samurai series so far twice through."

"Nice! Mine are really just to stay as I am now- happy, at a perfect age, and sane. I don't think I'll be able to stay that way for long, though…"

Miles laughed again. "Of course you will; you're Phoenix Wright, you know. Anyway, are you coming to the fireworks display tomorrow night?"

"Of course I am. I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"I'll see you there, then. Sorry about cutting this short, but I have to go now. Something's just come up and I have to-"

"That's OK. You don't have to apologize. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks. Goodbye, Phoenix."

"Bye, Miles!"

After Miles had hung up, Phoenix smiled warmly, wondering what would happen on the very last day of the year.


	31. 31st December- New Year's Eve

Happy New Year! :D :D :D  
I hope you've had a nice December and will have a great year in 2014, full of great happiness and joy for all of you! :)  
I also hope you've had a good time reading this fanfiction. As much as I didn't really update in time (sorry about that...:c), I enjoyed writing this and I really hope you liked it.  
On another note, I'm on Case 3 of Dual Destinies now. IT'S AWESOME. :D  
I love how Blackquill calls the judge 'Your Baldness'. XD  
He's like Godot and Edgeworth combined, in my opinion. But anyway... :)

Here is the New Year chapter of A Law-some Christmas, and I hope you have a very, very happy new year! :D

* * *

When Phoenix Wright arrived at the local field to watch the fireworks display with his trusty assistants in tow, he certainly didn't expect a crowd as large as what he came across. There were several stalls situated around the premises, some of which were expelling some rather tantalising smells and scents from the food being sold. There was a hog roast (of which Maya despised), a few stalls scattered here and there selling handmade merchandise, one particular stall selling glow sticks and sparklers, and many other food stalls. Phoenix first noticed, though, that Maya's eyes had been suddenly drawn to a small barbeque, on which sausages and burgers were grilling away.

"Nick…?" Maya asked hopefully, tugging on his sleeve with a grin on her face. Phoenix laughed and shook his head, taking her by the hand and dragging her away from the captivating sight Maya had set her eyes upon, Pearl following closely behind.

"I'll buy you one later. For now, let's just take a little look around and see if there's anything you really want, and let's also talk to some of our friends first. OK?"

"But, Niiiiick-"

"No buts. Come on, let's actually speak to somebody. Look, there's Miles!"

Phoenix let go of Maya's hand and rushed up to his friend. As usual, Miles was wearing his crimson red suit and cravat, but was obviously entranced in his own thoughts as Phoenix swore he was genuinely smiling- though that, he considered, could just be his eyes playing tricks on him. Nevertheless, Miles stood in front of him, and before he could start a conversation Maya ran and hugged him tightly from behind.

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"_Who's th- _Oh, hello, Maya. Hello, Phoenix."

Phoenix grinned. "Hi, Miles. How have you been?"

Miles stared at him with an exasperated look upon his face. "…We spoke on the phone _yesterday_, Phoenix."

"Oh, yeah. We did, didn't we?" Phoenix realised, chuckling lightly and an embarrassed blush coming to his cheeks. Miles smirked.

"Always the forgetful one, weren't you?"

"Pretty much. So, how's Franziska been?"

Miles smiled warmly. "She's been great, actually. Having Adrian around has really done her good, you know. She hardly takes her whip around anymore…oh, look, she's over there now."

Looking in the direction Miles was pointing, Phoenix and Maya spotted two figures standing next to each other in the distance, one enthusiastically pointing at the star-filled sky.

"Look, Franziska! Soon, there'll be colours of all kinds embellishing the sky with light and wonder…don't you think that's a wondrous sight to look upon on the very last day of an entire year, 364 days of hard work and stress already over?"

Franziska laughed. "Indeed, it is quite a wondrous sight- but, Adrian Andrew, you don't need to tell me things I already know to be true."

Adrian faltered for a moment, but Franziska noticed and rethought her words. "Still, I can't fault your enthusiasm."

"And I can't fault you at all- after all, you are a von Karma, and von Karmas are destined to be perfect; much like the stars and fireworks up there, filling the night with beauty." Adrian said, with a playful wink at her friend. At this, Franziska grinned- after all, everyone appreciated a bit of ego-stroking.

"Much obliged, Adrian. However," Franziska began, a small sigh escaping her lips and her head tilted downwards, "nobody isborn perfect by name- it is but the choices they make in their life that determines perfection."

Adrian frowned and put a hand on Franziska's shoulder- it was obvious that Franziska was thinking about her father, Manfred von Karma, who had received the death penalty for murder and was to be executed around late February of the following year. "I know, I know. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"That's alright."

Turning back to Miles, Phoenix grinned once more. "D'you think they're in love?"

Miles' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at Phoenix, dumbstruck. "N-no! They're only friends, you know, and I'm quite sure that Franziska isn't-"

Miles was stopped by Phoenix bursting into quiet laughter. "What?"

"I was _joking_! Anyway, they'd make a good couple, don't you think?"

Miles looked at Adrian and Franziska, then back at Phoenix, then back at Franziska and Adrian, and then slowly back at Phoenix. He nodded, much to Phoenix's amusement.

"I suppose they would…but I'm not saying that it's my personal opinion, because _you're _the one that brought it up…"

After a conversation and a half later, Phoenix, Maya and Pearl left to go look around the stalls. When Maya and Pearl had promised to stick close to each other and meet Phoenix at the glow stick stall, they had run off together to a small handmade jewellery stall that had many colourful bracelets on sale. After laughing at the enthusiasm of the duo, Phoenix made his way toward the glow stick stall, accidentally bumping into a man in front of him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there-"

"It's alright, Mr. Wright." replied a squeaky, high-pitched voice.

"Thanks…wait, how do you know my name?" Phoenix asked the man, before the man turned around and Phoenix gasped as he recognised who it was.

_It can't be_…

"…Winston Payne…is that you?"

Payne smirked. "We meet again, Phoenix Wright."

An awkward silence came between the two of them as Phoenix struggled to think of what to say to his courtroom rival. Payne had been nicknamed the 'Rookie Killer' and had faced up against Phoenix on his very first trial and some others across his career, seemingly not living up to his accolade.

"So, uh…how have you been?"

"Fine. You?"

"Good. Won any trials lately?"

"None."

"Oh, that's too bad." Phoenix replied, trying to hold in his laughter at Payne's monotonous expression.

"But, Phoenix Wright," Payne began, a rictal grin on his face, "the next trial I have against you will be my greatest yet, mark my words!"

With that, and a triumphant laugh, Payne turned on his heel and walked away.

…_Why am I not convinced?_

* * *

As Phoenix, Maya and Pearl regrouped back outside the glow stick stall, Phoenix gave both of them a purple glow stick and told them all about his encounter with Payne. Pearl looked confused- she had never met or heard of Payne before- but Maya's jaw dropped as she realised just what Phoenix had said.

"_N-no way!_ So, you met Payne? What happened, Nick?"

"Oh, he just went on about how he'd beat me next time and stuff. Nothing much."

Maya laughed. "Like he'll ever beat you!"

All at once, a noise pierced the air- Phoenix, Maya and Pearl instantly recognising it. Rushing over to the middle of the field in which a crowd was rapidly gathering, they watched in awe as the first firework went off, showering the pitch-black night-time sky with a red glow and hue. The display went on as everybody in attendance kept their eyes transfixed upon the sky, watching the colours mix together, the sparks fly in sequences and the bangs and whizzes go off. Marvellous Catherine wheels lit up the heavens amidst the crowd's claps and cheers, oblivious- in their inanimate state- to the joy and happiness they were bringing.

Near the back of the crowd two figures stood together, one of the two clad in a large trench coat and the other with short black hair, holding hands. After looking at each other for but a moment they smiled warmly before turning back in awe to focus on the display once more. Across from the duo, two other people stood, one of them looking happier than ever before.

"Wow…Franziska, isn't this amazing?"

Franziska smirked as she gazed up at the ensuing blasts of colour and wonder filling up the sky above her. "Yes, Adrian, it is amazing."

Adrian checked her watch, grinning as she realised something. "Only five minutes to go!"

To Franziska's great surprise, Adrian took her hand and clasped it tightly, looking at Franziska with a look of fierce determination in her eyes.

"Let's still be friends for the upcoming year, and all the years after that! Let's make that our resolution for the year coming in only around three minutes."

Franziska was still shocked, but- to Adrian's shock- grinned back at her, squeezing her hand back in assurance.

"Of course."

As the fireworks display came to a close, everybody clapped and cheered, their hearts full of happiness and gleeful feelings they just couldn't let go of. A massive Catherine wheel, flanked either side by other wonderful fireworks, finished off the display for good- and as it withered away amidst the crowd's happiness, the clock struck twelve.

A new year had begun.


End file.
